The Cabin
by madchilla
Summary: Eren and Levi run away up north to Levi's cabin, which holds horrible memories of his past. Eren discovers the cabin's memory book and vows to make better memories for the place so important to Levi. How can something that beautiful be so ugly?
1. Chapter 1

**Warnings:** Language

* * *

It took Eren two whole trimesters to realize how completely and utterly fucked he was. His first day of school already foretold that his class was going to be a total nightmare. When that cocky little asshole of a gym teacher had walked in, Eren made the dire mistake of jokingly scoffing at his (serious lack of) height.

Little did Eren know, that teacher was more than capable of packing a punch, not that he did, though—that would be illegal. Beating the shit out of the kid would do nothing for him, according to Levi Rivaille. Levi didn't crave the need to physically punish the arrogant student, instead he made it his goal to make Eren Jaeger's life a complete hell. Well, in his class, anyway.

Whenever a new activity or unit required a demonstration, there was no doubt that Eren would be the lucky individual up in front of the class. Whether it be basketball, soccer, baseball, kickball, canoeing, tennis, racket ball, floor hockey, Eren was no good at sports. It was pitiful watching the kid run around a field or court with balls flying at him, hitting him everywhere, but he mostly took them to his face. Now, no one was calling Levi a sadist, but some swore that his usual frown turned slightly upside down when Eren took a hard throw with a dodge ball to his cheek.

Eren wasn't gay. Well, at least he assumed that he wasn't. He didn't really know for sure, considering he didn't have any experience with either gender, but he'd always been attracted to the female type. However, Eren had thought about his gym teacher on occasion, and totally in a non-sexual way, or so he told himself. He'd merely thought about what Levi looked like without his shirt. And pants. And underwear. That was totally normal, right? That's what Eren kept telling himself.

He didn't like his gym teacher. Alright, he liked Levi, but not _like _like. It would be a lie to say that Levi wasn't a cool teacher. Unlike most PE teachers, Levi actually did what he expected his students to do. If they lifted weights, did pacers and ran around the track six times, Rivaille lifted weights, did pacers and ran around the track six times right beside them.

That was cool in Eren's book. He liked Levi as a teacher. No, he didn't even like Levi—he appreciated his teaching efforts, even if Eren seemed to be his marionette when it came to demonstrations.

Eren was not attracted to Levi. Not a bit. Absolutely no attraction whatsoever.

On the first day of the third trimester, Eren received a harsh slap in the face of how untrue that previous statement actually was.

It was the one unit all year that students waited for: rock climbing. The climbing wall in the school's auxiliary gym that had been collecting dust throughout the year finally would be getting some attention. As usual, the first day of a new unit called for demonstrations, but unlike usual, Eren wasn't called to the front at the beginning of class. Instead, he sat crossed legged on the hardwood floor with the rest of his fellow classmates.

Eren gulped as his teacher stepped into the climbing harness and watched as the material was slipped up Levi's legs. Eren knew his teacher was speaking and saying important things, but he couldn't focus as the straps were being tightened around Levi's thighs.

He knew that Levi was small. He was shorter than most of the class, even the freshmen, but Eren had never noticed how tiny he actually was until a strap of the harness was wrapped around Levi's stomach, defining his small hips.

Ah, yes. Eren definitely _like _liked his teacher. He liked seeing Levi all wound up in those strap things. Rock climbing? What's that? Who cares?

A harsh push to his shoulder snapped Eren out of his daze. Heat rose to his face when he realized the entire class was staring at him, including the strong gaze from Levi. "Jaeger, are you done daydreaming? Get up here," he ordered.

Eren swallowed what little saliva he had and inwardly cursed when he realized how dry his mouth was. He hoped it wasn't too obvious what he was dreaming about. He pushed himself up from the floor and walked up to the front, next to Levi. "Yes?"

Rivaille turned so his back was facing Eren. "Tuck the strap into the back since I can't reach." With shaky hands, Eren did as he was told, trying his absolute best to not accidentally brush his fingers against his teacher. Levi reached behind him, finding another strap with a clip at the end. "Now you need to clip the harness."

Eren's eyes widened momentarily when he saw where the other end of the clip was. He took the strap from Levi's hands and reached for the other end at the dip of his back, right above the swell of his ass. Eren quickly snapped the clip, despite his quivering hands and let go immediately. "Good," Levi stated. "You may sit down now."

_Mmm. Huh. Wait. What?_

Eren had never seen such a tiny ass before, not that it was a bad thing. Sure, Levi's ass was small as fuck, but it was shapely—so perfectly round and Eren just wanted to reach out and squeeze it.

He jumped when fingers were snapped in front of his face. At some point, Levi had turned around and Eren was still in a daze. "Hello? Earth to Jaeger." He snapped a few more times until he got Eren's attention. "I told you to go sit down."

"Oh," Eren mumbled. "Right." He felt all eyes on him as he made his way to where he was sitting before. Once sitting, Eren looked up to the front only to immediately look down when he saw Levi was glaring at him.

Eren had been glared at multiple times, especially by Levi, but he'd never seen _that _particular look before, and there was only one thing he could make of it.

He was completely and utterly fucked.

* * *

Levi Rivaille was many things, but idiotic and oblivious weren't any of them. He was well aware of the stares he was receiving from the arrogant senior, Eren Jaeger. In previous situations, Eren had managed to hide them fairly well, but Levi was always well in touch with his surroundings and noticed the glances immediately, but he seemed to be the only one who did.

The first day of the third trimester was different. Eren stared, as usual. Eren checked him out, as usual. Levi was almost surprised that Eren had been so blatantly obvious, in front of the class no less.

Of course, after he realized his student had a thing for him, Levi fantasized a bit, in a totally non-sexual way. He'd merely thought about what it'd be like to be with Eren Jaeger. Was it even legal? Eren was eighteen, so there was no problem there, but Levi had no clue what the student-teacher relationship policies were at the school.

Levi Rivaille was many things, but a liar wasn't one of them. Everyone on the school's staff knew how loyal Levi was. He'd never do anything to get himself, or the school in trouble and he would follow any order given to him. That's why Levi wasn't conflicted in going to the principal to get some of his questions answered.

Levi closed the door behind him once he entered the office. "Take a seat," the principal, Irvin Smith offered. Levi sat down in the wooden chair in front of the desk, across from Smith and crossed his legs, folding his arms over his chest. "You said you had some questions for me?"

Levi nodded. "Yes, Sir."

"Ask away."

"With my reputation at this school, I hope it's clear that I will follow every single rule pertaining this topic, but I'd like to know the details of student-teacher relationships, Sir," Rivaille stated rather bluntly.

Smith's eyes widened, slightly. "What do you wish to know, Mr. Rivaille? Any teacher having a relationship with a student is strictly forbidden at this school."

Levi hummed, "That's as I thought. I have one more question, then."

"Go on."

"What if said student was a senior and graduating at the end of May?"

Smith hesitated for a moment before clearing his throat. "If the student is no longer enrolled in our school and is of age, there's nothing against the relationship."

The corner of Levi's mouth curled up. He stood up from the chair and offered his hand to Smith, who shook it. "Thank you Mr. Smith. That's what I needed to know."

"Mr. Rivaille?" Smith said right as Levi turned the door knob. He turned to face the principal. "I hope you understand the consequences if you pursue this relationship before the school year is over. You will be fired and it will go on your record. You won't be hired at any school in our district, or mostly likely even in this state. Be careful."

Levi simply smirked. "You know I won't break the school's policy. I will wait for the school year to end, so there's no need to worry."

Smith nodded, "I know you won't."

* * *

Gym class had been fairly uneventful and quite boring for Eren. He wasn't coordinated enough in the harness to be able to rock climb, so he was handling the ropes, tightening and loosening his grip when the climber called for it. The only entertainment he had was watching Levi climbing the wall, loving the way the straps of the harness shaped his ass.

"Goddammit Eren, tension!" The girl climbing shouted down at him. Eren realized that his grip had completely slackened. He quickly pulled the rope, giving the tension she demanded.

Once she was satisfied, Eren turned his attention back to the teacher, frowning because Levi was no longer on the wall, but talking with another student and showing her how to tie a certain knot with the rope.

Uh oh.

Sudden thoughts and images of Levi stark naked, completely bound and vulnerable flooded Eren's head and he flushed. He brought a hand to his forehead, reminding himself how fucked he truly was. Eren nearly screamed when a hand was placed on his shoulder, breaking himself from his self pity.

"Two hands on the rope, Jaeger," Levi was standing right beside him. "Her safety is in your hands. If you let go, she's completely on her own and has to rely on her strength. She's strong enough, so I don't doubt that she could, but, would you be able to face the fact that it was your fault that she broke her neck because she slipped and fell and you weren't holding onto the rope to catch her?" Eren grabbed the rope with his other hand, stunned silent. "That's what I thought."

Eren ignored the judging gaze coming from Levi and focused on handling the rope. "Jaeger," Levi stated. Eren turned his head to face his teacher. "You are the only one failing my class, Jaeger and I can't accept that. Come to my office after school today and we'll figure out what can be done about it, alright?"

Eren nodded. "Yeah, okay."

"Good." Levi went back to assisting other students with the ropes and encouraging those on the wall.

_Oh God..._

Meet Levi in his office after school to discuss what can be done with his failing grade? If that didn't sound like a shitty porno plot line, then Eren didn't know what did. Oddly enough, Eren wasn't exactly opposed to the idea.

* * *

After the final bell, Eren found himself in the locker room, slowly walking to Levi'soffice. He took a peak in the small window in the door, seeing that Levi was sitting in front of a laptop, probably entering grades for that day. Eren took a deep breath and knocked.

Levi looked up from his computer, seeing Eren through the window. He closed his laptop and stood to open the door and held it open. "Come in, Jaeger."

Eren entered the office. "Take a seat," Levi motioned to a chair, after he closed the door behind Eren. "You can set your stuff down anywhere."

Eren did as he was told, sitting in the chair and setting his stuff down beside him on the seemingly spotless floor. Levi took a seat in his office chair, swiveling it to face Eren and crossed his legs. "So, Jaeger. It's only the second week of this trimester and you're already failing my class. Care to explain?"

Eren tried to wet his mouth before he spoke, but it was too dry. "I don't really know what to say," he mumbled. "I'm honestly trying my best."

Levi cut him off. "I know you're trying your best and I include all of your participation into your grade, and yet you're still failing. What do you suppose we do about this?"

Ah, yes. That's what Eren was waiting for. In just a few moments, he was going to be offered a proposition for something sexual in order to raise his grade. Fuck, he didn't know how to suck a dick. Shit, now what was he going to do? _Play it cool, man. Play it cool. _Maybe he should just act innocent?

"I don't know, Mr. Rivaille."

Levi hummed. "I see. Would you like to hear my thoughts about what can be done?"

_Fuck yeah, he does._

"S-sure," Eren stuttered, cursing himself for sounding like a virginal teenage girl, completely ignoring the fact that he was indeed a virgin.

"I don't expect any student to be perfect at every sport or activity we do in class. That would be unreasonable. I understand that some have harder times when it comes to sports and gym class in general. You are one of those students, Jaeger, and there isn't anything wrong with that. What you need is practice, so here's my proposition."

Shit, here it was, Eren thought. _Get ready to have a cock in your mouth._

"What you need is practice, Jaeger. There isn't a single athlete, musician or even a teacher that got to where they are without practice. I think it would be beneficial to you if you were to stay after school a few days a week and get some extra practice with whatever we're doing in class. That will make it more likely for you to pass the final performance tests in each unit."

Oh. Well, that was unexpected.

"So, what do you say, Jaeger?"

Uhm... "Uhm," shit he said that out loud. "Y-yeah, sure." _Fuck man, play it cool. Jesus..._

Levi smirked. "Great. We'll start on Monday."

Eren nodded and stood up from the chair, grabbing his backpack off of the floor and swung it over his shoulder. Just as he reached for the door handle, Levi's voice stopped him. "Oh, and Jaeger?"

Eren turned to face him. "Yes?"

Smirk widening even more, Levi states, "You're playing a dangerous game with those stares during class, Jaeger." With that, Eren was pushed out of the office and the door shut behind him, leaving him behind sporting a lovely blush.

* * *

The next few weeks were torture. Three days a week, Eren stayed after school to work with Levi on whatever they were doing in class, and occasionally things that were done previously. With every activity came some new kind of judgmental comment from Levi.

Basketball: "Come on, Jaeger, flex your noodle arms. No, don't throw the ball, push it with your fingers. There you go. Nice form, but aim for the basket next time."

Tennis: "Good God, Jaeger, I've seen sloths move faster than you on a court. Get with it, now."

Canoeing: "You're not supposed to tip the boat."

Baseball was different. Rivaille stood on the pitching mound, waiting for Eren to correct his batting stance. "Bend your knees. Put your weight on your back foot. Coil your back farther so I can see the back of your shirt. Lock your knuckles. Lift the bat from your shoulder. Oh my God, you look ridiculous."

Levi almost laughed at the position Eren found himself in. He relaxed when Levi walked from the pitching mound and threw his glove to the side. He stood in front of Eren and said, "Bend your knees." Eren did. "Good, now shift your body weight to your back foot, but not all of it that it makes you unbalanced. Great, now bring the bat up." Eren did.

Levi grabbed Eren's shoulders, twisting his body, so his back faced the field. "It's uncomfortable, but it gives you more momentum to hit the ball farther," he explained. "Lower the bat a little and flatten it." When Eren gave him a confused look, Levi pushed the barrel of the bat lower so it aligned with Eren's body. "That way, when you swing, you don't have to adjust the level of the bat. Now align your knuckles. Good. Tuck your chin down." He took a few steps back to be out of the bat's swinging range. "Now swing."

Eren weakly swung the bat with his arms, losing his balance and fell into the sand. Levi sighed, almost, but not entirely defeated. He held his hand out and helped Eren up. "Alright, let me try one more thing," he said.

Levi put Eren back into the proper batting stance and walked behind him. He wrapped his arms around Eren's and grabbed the bat over Eren's hands. Eren stiffened at the feeling of Levi's body pressed against his. "You can't just use your arms to swing," Levi told him. "You have to put your whole body into it and you do that by using your hips." He guided the bat in his and Eren's hands and pushed forward, sharp hipbone digging into Eren's, making Eren twist his hips as well.

"There," Levi muttered before letting go of Eren. "That's how you swing a bat. Do you understand, now?"

Eren nodded, still in shock. "Yeah, I think so."

"Good. Now, demonstrate." Levi ran back to the pitching mound, snatching his glove from the ground on his way. He waited for Eren to get into his stance before pitching the ball right down the middle of the home plate. He almost laughed when the ball hit the fence behind Eren. "It was a good swing, Jaeger. Now that you have that down, we can work on actually hitting the ball. It's getting late, so we'll work on that next time."

* * *

Eren sat on the curb of the school's parking lot, waiting for his ride to pick him up. He should have known to remind someone that he was staying after school again, but he figured that after weeks of the same routine, it would be easy to remember.

He cursed himself for thinking someone would remember. It seemed he would be walking home, again. He was just thankful that it was a nice night outside. The spring was always his favorite time of year. It wasn't too hot and the snow finally stopped falling. Plus, it wasn't that time when it rained every day, either.

_Boom._

Oh for fuck sake. Before the rain could wet his hair down too badly, Eren pulled his hoodie over his head and stuffed his hands into his pockets. Great. Nothing could be worse right now. Well, maybe a tornado, but they didn't get tornadoes there all that often. Eren quickly looked around in the sky, searching for any sort of funnel cloud, relieved when he couldn't find one. He continued walking up the hill leading from his school to the main road.

"Jaeger?" A voice called from the street.

Oh, that's just perfect. Levi was nice and comfy and _dry _in his SUV that he pulled over to the side of the road. "Is someone picking you up?"

Eren walked closer to the car, so he could hear better. He shook his head, "I forgot to tell them I was staying after school," he said simply.

Levi put the car in park and unlocked the doors. "Get in. I'll take you home. You can't walk in a storm like this or you'll get sick."

Not really in any place to argue, Eren circled around the car and hopped into the passenger seat. He was oblivious to the face Levi made when his wet bag was dropped onto the floor in front of him. "Thank you," Eren said, shivering. It would have been hell walking home in that.

"It's no problem," Levi said, pulling the car back onto the road. He poked the screen in the dashboard, turning on the GPS. "What's your address?" He punched the numbers into the system as Eren said them.

The drive was awkward. The only sound being the standard GPS voice telling Levi to turn every so often. Eren rested his forehead against the window, once again, oblivious to Levi's silent protest. It irked Eren that his teacher had to drive him home because the people that called themselves his parents forgot to pick him up. It upset him that he had to go back there in the first place. If it wasn't raining, he probably would have walked around the small suburb until it got dark before he went back. He refused to call the place home, because that's not what it was.

If he had it his way, Eren would stay at school. Hell, the cot room in the nurse's office seemed like a better place to get rest than his place. It was a commotion at his house. The constant yelling of adults and screaming of young children was enough to drive anyone to the brink of insanity. Not to mention the fact that he was the oldest one there. Of course, the eighteen year old wouldn't get the attention he needed when there were three, four and five year old's running through the house.

Eren couldn't wait until the school year ended, but at the same time, he dreaded the end of the year. Graduating meant he'd be forced to leave his home and be left to his own devices to find a place of his own.

He figured the streets would be better than the hellhole he was in now.

Eren lifted his head from the window when Levi shook his shoulder. "We're here, Jaeger." Levi immediately let go of Eren at the sight of tears streaking down the kid's face. He stiffened, unable to think of what he should do. He decided to go with the old reliable, "Are you okay?" He asked, leaning slightly closer to Eren.

What happened next was unexpected to both, Eren and Levi. Eren unbuckled his seat belt and pushed himself closer to Levi, pressing his lips to his teachers'. Levi's eyes widened when his student kissed him and remained there. He gently pushed Eren's shoulders, disconnecting their lips.

Eren looked just as shocked as Levi, perhaps even more. He shuffled around, struggling to get the car door to open and picked up his bag from the floor. He kept his face hidden as he got out of the car, mumbling a short 'thanks' for the ride.

Levi stalled in the driveway, making sure the kid got into his house. When the door shut behind Eren, Levi pulled out of the driveway and drove home. In his own driveway, he parked the car and slumped in his seat, realizing how completely and utterly fucked he was.

* * *

The next day in gym class was awkward. Not only Eren and Levi, but the entire class could feel the tension, but no one made any comments as not to anger their teacher. Levi didn't call on Eren all class, feeling the need to not pick on the kid after the previous day.

Toward the end Levi class, as everyone was cleaning up the gym, putting basketballs back into the ball basket, Levi tapped Eren on the shoulder. "My office after school, Jaeger."

Eren's eyebrows furrowed, obviously confused. "But it's Tuesday," he stated.

"So it is," Levi responded. "I still have to talk with you, so I need you to come in after school."

He lowered his eyes and nodded. "Alright," he mumbled.

* * *

Eren was nervous. He'd been nervous before when he was required to talk with Levi, but ever since their practices, he'd been getting used to having to talk with him. Now, he went and fucked that all up by kissing his teacher. What had he been thinking? He had no idea, but Eren didn't have time to think about it as he was standing in front of Levi's office. He knocked, but there was no response. He tried looking into the window, but it seemed the lights were off.

Eren assumed that Levi wasn't in, yet. The longer Eren waited, the more worried and nervous he got. Surely, this talk was going to be about the car ride yesterday. He was dreading the moment when Levi canceled their practices because Eren totally weirded him out with the kiss.

He may not have enjoyed sports, but Eren liked the practices with Levi. It meant spending more time with him, and less time with his so called family. He didn't have to worry about being yelled at for something one of the younger kids did and he had time to complete his homework in peace before the practice started.

But, Eren had to go fuck it all up with his stupid conflicting teenager emotions. He would be forced into going home right after school and back to failing the stupid class. All because he thought his teacher cared for him. All because he thought _someone _cared for him.

God, he was an idiot.

Keys jingling behind Eren got his attention. Levi was rush walking through the locker room, pulling a set of keys out of his pocket. "Sorry for the wait, Jaeger. I had a meeting," he huffed as he unlocked the door.

"It's okay," Eren muttered, following Levi into the office and sitting down in the chair, dropping his school bag to the floor. He didn't say anything as Levi put things away and took a seat in the office chair.

Levi swiveled the chair so he faced Eren. "So, about yesterday," he started, but Eren interrupted him.

"I understand why you're canceling the practices."

Levi crossed his legs, folding his arms over his chest and cocked his head to the side. "Why do you say that?" He questioned. Truth be told, he wasn't going to cancel the practices. The whole chat was simply about how Eren reacted to being upset the day before.

"I creeped you out when I kissed you," Eren blushed as he answered.

"That's what you think this is about, Jaeger?" He sighed when Eren nodded, lowering his head. "I'm a grown man, Jaeger. I can take care of myself and I'm not creeped out. I'm more concerned as to why you did what you did. You were crying, and I'm not going to ask why, because that's none of my business. We all have our demons and sometimes they appear out of nowhere. I would just like to know what you want from me, Jaeger. It's not every day that a student kisses their teacher when they're upset."

Eren hung his head even more, knowing that he had no legitimate answer. "I don't know, Mr. Rivaille," he whispered. He was ashamed to even be having this conversation. Eren felt embarrassed talking about it. He didn't want to have to tell his teacher about his life at home.

"Do you like me?" Levi asked bluntly.

Eren was taken aback and found it hard to find words to respond with. He sputtered when he tried to respond and ultimately gave up on attempting to speak. He merely let his head hang, heat rising to his cheeks.

"I'll take that as a yes," Levi said, sounding amused. "What if I told you that the feeling was mutual, Jaeger?"

Eren's head shot up, eyes wide open in surprise. "What?" He exclaimed.

"I just want to make things clear, so I need a yes or no answer from you. Alright, Jaeger? Have we established that I like you and you like me?"

Once again, Eren fumbled through his words. "Uhm, I'm not sure Mr. Rivaille..."

"Yes or no?"

Eren gulped at the intense look Levi gave him. He nodded, sealing his fate. "Yes," Eren said firmly.

Levi smirked. "Okay, now that we have that established, you should know some details of the school policy on this. We cannot have any relationship other than student-teacher until you graduate, do you understand? By technicality, I don't think we're even supposed to talk about it until then. So until May, you are my student and I am your teacher, alright?"

Eren nodded. "I understand," he stated.

"Good," Levi said as he stood and walked to the door, opening it. "You may go home now."

Eren lifted from the chair and picked up his bags, murmuring a soft thanks as he left the office. Levi closed the door behind the teenager. He sunk down into his comfortable chair and closed his eyes. May could not come soon enough.

* * *

April passed fast, almost too fast for Eren. He knew what waited for him at the end of May, and while he was excited, he was also scared. For the past few weeks, Eren was preoccupied thinking about what would happen with him and Levi once he graduated when he should have been thinking about and making plans for a place to live and establishing a life for himself.

He shouldn't have been focusing on relationships when he was about to be kicked out of the place he lived, but hell, he couldn't help it.

During gym, Eren still stared at Levi, but instead of blushing and looking away when he was caught by his teacher, he simply smirked.

Their practices went on as normal, though the first few felt awkward. Eren had no idea what to say during them ever since they agreed on what was going to happen between them.

"What are you doing this summer, Jaeger?" Levi asked as they walked back to the school from the tennis court.

Eren stood still as the other looked expectantly at him. He wasn't expecting the question and while it shocked him, he was mostly curious. "I'm not entirely sure, yet," he responded.

"Really? That's odd for a teenager, don't you think? I figured you'd have a bunch of plans to celebrate your final year of high school."

Eren shook his head as they walked down the stairs to the locker room. "Nope. No plans," he said, leaving out the plans that he should have been doing something about.

Levi opened his mouth to say something, but closed it. He swiped his key in front of the detector and waited for the beep to signal the door was unlocked. Eren swerved through the lines of lockers until he found his. He quickly shuffled out of his gym shorts and into a pair of jeans. He didn't bother changing his shirt considering he was going straight home. "Hey, Jaeger," Eren looked up from his locker, seeing Levi leaning his back against some lockers.

"Yes?" He replied as he stuffed his clothes into his gym bag.

Levi crossed his arms, hesitating in what he was about to say. Finally, he closed his eyes and asked, "Would you like to go up north with me, this summer? I have a cabin up there. I haven't gone up in a while and I don't know...I thought it would be fun, I guess. If you don't have any plans, that is."

Eren thought over the offer as he closed his locker and turned the dial a few times. He wasn't entirely sure of what to say. "If you don't want to, that's fine. I thought I'd just offer," Levi said, pushing himself away from the lockers and turned away from Eren to go back to his office.

"Wait," Eren said. If he went, he'd have a for sure place to stay during the summer, which would give him more time to plan what he would do once the summer was up. Plus, he'd spend the summer with Levi, which excited him, yet frightened him greatly. "Yeah, I'll go."

The end of May couldn't come soon enough.

* * *

_A/N: Hello all! Welcome to Em's first snk fic. I hope you all enjoy it! I'd like to make a couple of notes. This is a modern AU, which means OOC. I will try my best to incorporate their original personalities. This will not be a high school AU, I promise. I just had to set the scene a bit. Just so we're clear, there will be smut in later chapters, so if you're not interested in that, be prepared._

_I apologize if there are any typos in this. I would usually have someone edit it for me, but I won't have internet access for a while. (I'm posting this at an internet cafe, right now haha.) _

_Anyway, yes. I hope you enjoy the story and stick around for later chapters. Reviews are very much appreciated!_

_-Em _


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Hey guys! First of all, feel free to skip over my babbling. Thanks so much for the support on the first chapter! Holy shit the reviews omg. I got more on that first chapter than I did on an entire story I finished a few days ago! _

_As I was writing this chapter, I was thinking "oh my god they're so out of character shit. Well they were out of character in the first chapter so maybe no one will notice?" And then I got reviews saying they're well in character. _

_Well fuck. I suppose I'll just say for the time being (end of school arc or whatever this is), they're going to be a bit out of character. Once they get to the cabin, it should be better, so I hope y'all stick around!_

_I just want to put it out there that I am so confused about Rivaille's name. I understand that 'Rivaille' is the Japanese pronunciation of 'Levi', so I'm sure his name is not Levi Rivaille. That's dumb. But as of now, I don't believe he has a first name and that just doesn't work in the story, so I'm sticking with the stupid name. If we ever do find out if he has a first name (or if Rivaille is his first name idk...) *Edit: I changed my mind. I've been using "Rivaille" and now I'm switching it to "Levi". I hope you don't mind!_

_Thanks again for reading! A special thanks to Keru for reading over this for me :D_

**Warnings: **Language

* * *

Eren received some odd looks as he carried three completely full duffel bags through the maze of the locker room. He was simply following Levi's orders: _Bring all the stuff you're taking with to my office before school. _

Eren made sure not to leave a single thing back at home, since he'd never be returning after that day. After that last day of school, Eren was free, no longer having to worry about babysitting the other kids or being yelled at for doing absolutely nothing.

The day couldn't have gone any slower in Eren's book. He was confused as to even why this day was required, for all they did was talk about what happened throughout the year and signed yearbooks. Once again, Eren didn't have one of the books to keep forever so he could show his children how horrible the fashion was when he was in school. Instead, he had what was called, 'a ghetto yearbook', which was just a stack of plain pieces of paper all stapled together for fellow classmates to write in.

Eren sighed every time someone would ask him to sign their book. He had no memories of these kids, as he'd only gone to the school for his senior year. He had nothing to reminisce about with anyone. He simply signed his name, not bothering to leave his number to get in touch with anyone. He didn't even have the courtesy to leave a nice "H.A.G.S" on a single page.

The year passed fast, and Eren didn't make any decent friends. Of course, he tried on the first day, only to find out that making fun of a teacher's size was a bad idea and would only bite him in the ass later on.

The past few gym classes had been everything but normal when it came to Levi. Eren couldn't tell if he was being ignored because Levi was simply excited or because he regretted inviting Eren to the cabin in the first place. Eren could only hope it was the first.

The class went by fairly fast. He signed more yearbooks and many wrote in his stack of paper, the majority saying he'll always be remembered as Levi's class bitch. That's not exactly what Eren wanted to be associated with, but he could honestly care less.

Eren's last class of his high school career went by snail pace. He swore he looked at the clock every ten minutes or so, only to see that forty seconds had passed. He wasn't sure if he was irritated or relieved at how slow the class was going. At the beginning of the hour, he began feeling a little strange. Eren's stomach was upset, but not in the "shit I'm about to puke all over the room" kind of way, or the "oh my God, I'm going to shit my pants" kind of way either. It was a feeling Eren could only pin as butterflies. If he thought that he was nervous before, then he had no idea what to call this.

His stomach twisted and his face contorted to match the feeling, it was almost painful. Few of his classmates bothered to ask if he was alright, but he merely waved them off. It was nothing they could help Eren with, unless they had a cure for anxiousness.

Eren had no clue what was going to happen at the cabin. He'd never been up north before. What were they going to do there? Was there wifi? Was there cable? Would he have cell service? Eren didn't have a single guess of what they would do up there and that bothered him just a tiny bit. Okay, a lot. It bothered him a lot.

Cheers echoed around the whole school when the final bell of the day rang. Chairs scraped against the floor as students hurriedly rushed out of the classrooms and into the halls. Papers scattered across the floor from the students who thought they'd take a roll in some shitty high school movie and throw all their papers from their bags into the air.

That's lame. Burn your school shit. There's more closure in that.

Eren shook his head as he weaved his way through the excited students until he made it to the locker room stairs. The door opened just as he reached out for the handle and he let the baseball jocks pass by before even attempting to get into the room. They didn't have to change for gym on the last day, so Eren didn't bother stopping at his locker. Instead he headed for the very back to Levi's office.

Levi rushed around the small room, gathering and placing things from his desk neatly into a canvas bag. He looked up to the window when Eren knocked and waved him in. "Ready to go?" He asked when Eren entered the office. Eren nodded and sat down in his usual chair, waiting for Levi.

By ready, Eren meant he all of his things were packed. Physically, yes he was ready. Mentally...that was another story. "Give me just a few minutes to finish cleaning, and then we can go," Levi said as he sprayed down his desk with a disinfectant and wiped it down with a paper towel. Once the desk was deemed clean, he tossed the dirty towel into the trash bin beside the door.

Eren mindlessly watched as Levi finished putting the few things left of the desk into his bag, followed by his laptop. "Ready?" Levi asked, turning around to face Eren.

Nodding, Eren got up from the chair and reached for one of his bags, slinging the strap around his arm. He did the same with the second, though he struggled with the third. Each time he bent over to pick it up, one of the bags (or for fuck sake, both) would slip from his shoulder, down his arm. "I can take that one," Levi said, reaching for the bag.

Eren remained silent as he let Levi lift the duffel, embarrassed that he couldn't carry everything, though he managed it perfectly fine on his way to school. "Thanks," he mumbled, passing Levi and out of the office. Levi didn't bother shutting the door behind them as he usually did, instead hanging the keyring onto the doorknob. "Alright. Let's go."

The locker room was relatively empty, save for a few students cleaning out their spaces. Eren knew he was probably just paranoid, but he felt like all eyes were locked onto him—him with Levi. Shaking his head, Eren abandoned the thoughts, realizing just how ridiculous they were. So what. He was walking beside their teacher. No biggie.

But what about when they see him get into Levi's car...with all of his bags? Surely that will spark a plethora of rumors that would probably be highly incorrect. Not that Eren cared what people thought. Alright, that was a lie. He cared. A lot.

Not that the nervousness faded at all since arriving at Levi's office, but it felt as if it had doubled. What if someone asked what he was doing? Why was he getting into their teacher's car? Why did it look like he brought everything he owned in those bags? Where were they going? What were they going to do?

What the fuck was going on?

Hell, if Eren knew.

Dispelling the thoughts once more, Eren simply followed behind Levi to the front doors of the school. He'd wave to an acquaintance every once in awhile whenever they congratulated him and wished him a happy summer. Happy summer, indeed. If only he knew what was going to happen up there.

As they made their way passed the concrete below the school's awning and to the road that stretched in front of the school, Eren noticed the whispers. He glanced around, seeing students that were waiting for their rides to pick them up, whisper into their friends' ears. A few even pointed.

Eren quickly looked forward, walking a bit slower as to create a larger distance between him and Levi. He smirked when his plan seemed to work, but that smugness was quickly wiped from his face when Levi turned his head back to look at him and slowed down. "Are you coming?" He questioned.

Sighing, Eren bit his lip and nodded, quickening his pace. They passed the crosswalk that led to the parking lot. Eren followed as Levi led them to the second row of cars until they came across the green Durango Eren recognized as Levi's SUV. Levi dug in his pants' pocket and pulled out his car keys, unlocking the vehicle. He circled around the car and lifted the handle on the back, opening the trunk, revealing a few bags of his own. Reaching out a hand, Levi offered to take Eren's other bags. Once he placed them into the trunk, avoiding the few filled paper bags, he slammed the door shut.

Eren held onto his school bag. He brought it with him to the passenger side door and set it down on the floor below the glove compartment. He hopped into the car, either oblivious to or just ignoring the irritated noise coming from Levi when he tracked some dirt onto the floor mat.

Levi flinched when Eren's door banged shut. "What did the door ever do to you?"

Eren looked up, confused. "Huh?"

Inserting the keys into the ignition, Levi started the car. "Was it necessary to slam the door shut?" he chastised.

Great. He was going to spend the entire summer with a man who was going to act like a nagging mother. Awesome. That's just what Eren had hoped for.

"I just shut the door, Mr. Rivaille. I didn't realize that I slammed it."

Levi simply waved him off and put the car into reverse, pulling out of the parking space. Eren peeked out of the window, flushing when he noticed there were still students looking at him. He tucked his head down, hoping to hid his face from the spectators. Levi noticed, but continued to maneuver the car out of the parking lot. When they reached the parking lot's exit, he flipped up the turn signal and waited for traffic to cease. He looked over at Eren and saw that his head was lowered with his forehead pressed against the window. "You know," Levi said. "Marking up my windows won't hide you."

Eren lifted his head. "I'm not hiding," he stated.

Checking both left and right, Levi pulled out of the lot and turned right, going up the hill leading out of the school. "There's no need to hide," Levi said. He thought about what he said and looked over at Eren. He vaguely recognized the puzzled looks they received on the way to the parking lot. It didn't occur to Levi until then about what Eren must have been feeling. He hadn't even thought about it, so he added, "Unless, of course, you're embarrassed or something..."

Eren rested his head against the window, making sure it was his hair that touched the glass and not his skin as not to leave any marks. He mumbled, "I'm not embarrassed." Oh but he was. He was ashamed at how embarrassed he was. Eren didn't mean any offense to Levi at all, but he was leaving school to spend the summer with his teacher—a man he barely knew. Not to mention, an _older _man he barely knew. Eren never bothered to ask Levi how old he actually was because he didn't seem to be any older than twenty five. Still, he was practically running away with _his teacher._

Damn right he was embarrassed. Or ashamed. Probably both.

Levi stopped at the sign on the top of the hill before swiftly turning onto the highway. "Good. Why be embarrassed? Your business is your business."

"I just feel that they're judging me," Eren responded without thinking.

Humming, Levi stayed focused on the road. "What's their reason to judge you? I very well just could be driving you home. They don't know anything, do they?"

Eren sighed. "I guess not."

"Exactly, so now you can set those thoughts aside and focus on this. I'd like to give you a lay down for the ride up."

Oh yeah, he's up for a lay down or a ride up... _Fuck, no Eren. Focus. Now is not the time to deal with your bullshit bipolar teenage hormones. Jesus, get with it, man. _

It took him a moment and an expectant look from Levi. "Yeah, okay," he said.

Levi gave him a questioning glance for a split second before speaking once more. "Alright, here's the plan. It takes about four and half hours to get up there, but we'll probably have to make a few stops on the way, like for gas and most likely the bathroom, so I'll say we'll be on the road for around six hours. Plus, I'm assuming you'll want to eat at some point, so we'll take a break about halfway up and grab some dinner.

"Once we get to the cabin, it will be pretty late. Before we do anything, we have to change the linens on the bed. It's been years since I've been there and the place is probably a disastrous mess. Nothing bothers me more than dirty sheets."

Without skipping a beat, Eren asked, "What about smudged windows?"

Levi scoffed. "Oh, so now you're a smartass? You better watch it, Jaeger," he threatened but didn't add anything else.

Eren smiled, reclining back in his seat. Maybe this trip wasn't going to be as awkward as he thought. He still felt a tad uncomfortable not knowing what there was to do at the cabin. Was he going to be completely bored? Was Levi just a creep that wanted to lure him up only to kill him? Like with a boat or something?

God, that's ridiculous. You're an idiot, Eren.

"Mr. Rivaille," he started. "What exactly are we going to do up there?"

Pursing his lips, Levi passed a car before merging onto the freeway. "First of all, I'm not your teacher, anymore. You can call me Levi. To answer your question, there's a ton of things to do. The cabin is right on the lake and we have a canoe, so we can do that. There's a town not too far away that has a bunch of restaurants and shops. There's a bowling alley, too."

Eren made a noise. "I haven't been bowling in so long," he said.

The corners of Levi'slips quirked up slightly. "Then we'll make it a plan to go for sure. Not to mention, the city is only an hour away and we can spend a few days there. There's theaters and the beach as well."

Levi was rambling. He may not have told Eren or even showed it, but he was just as nervous. He'd never done anything like that before. 'That' being practically ripping a kid from his friends and family just so he could have him to himself to spend time with. Levi still found it hard not to feel guilty. Sure, Eren said he didn't have any plans, but he assumed that must have been some sort of a lie. What teenager that just graduated high school and entered the world of freedom wouldn't have a single commitment for the summer?

He could only hope that whatever the teen had to do, didn't hold too much importance and could be taken care of later.

"Or, if you don't want to go out and just stay in, I have a flat screen that I splurged on the last time I came up." Oh my God, are you still talking? "There's no cable, but I have a collection of movies we can watch." Good Lord, shut up. He's not even listening.

Eren was looking out the window, wondering what it would be like wherever it was that they were going. He hummed, acknowledging Levi, but inattentive to his mindless ongoing chatter. Eren relaxed a bit, knowing that it wasn't going to be dull at the cabin.

"Do you have an iPod, or something?" Levi suddenly asked.

Eren looked up, surprised at the unexpected question. "Uhm, yeah." He reached for his backpack on the floor and unzipped the pocket on the front flap, pulling out an old blue Nano with headphones wrapped around it. "Why?"

In the meantime, Levi dug through the center console, eventually pulling out a white cord with an iPod jack on one end, and a USB on the other. "I think it's about time that I shut up and thought the ride would be awkward without any music. So yeah, you can plug in your iPod and listen to whatever, if you want."

_It's fine if you want to keep talking, I don't mind. _

Eren plugged his iPod in and skimmed through his list to find a decent song to play—you know, one that wasn't completely embarrassing. Once he chose one, he pressed play, letting the sounds of soft guitars fill the car.

Eren pressed his head against the window, suddenly tired. His eyelids drooped as he looked out of the glass, watching cars and various scenery rush by.

Levi clicked his tongue. "Is it necessary to use the window as a pillow, Jaeger?"

Eren quickly removed his face from the glass. "Sorry," he mumbled. He leaned down and unzipped the largest compartment of his backpack, taking out a brown hoodie. Scrunching the fabric, Eren was pleased with his makeshift pillow. He set the pillow against the window and pressed his head against it before it fell. He looked back at Rivaille, "Is that better?"

Levi just shook his head, ignoring the smart alack question, instead focusing on the road. Eren nuzzled his sweatshirt until he deemed it comfortable. He allowed his eyes to close as he took in the soft sounds coming from the speakers and the road below the car.

Surely, a nap wouldn't hurt anyone.

* * *

A gentle shake of his shoulder had Eren waking with a soft sigh. For a moment, he couldn't remember where he was, until his eyes opened to Levi. "Come on, Jaeger. I have to piss and you must be hungry by now."

Eren lifted his head from his sweater, rubbing at his eyes. He groggily mumbled something that Levi couldn't make out. Eren unbuckled and followed him out of the car. Levi let out a long sigh as he rolled his shoulders. He twisted his neck both ways, groaning when it popped.

Eren simply watched, mind still foggy with sleep. "Where are we?" He asked, following Levi who began walking towards what looked like to be a restaurant.

"We're a little more than halfway to the cabin," Levi answered, pulling the door open and letting Eren get by. "I usually stop here, on my way up. The food is good and usually quick."

"Ah," Eren said, flushing slightly at the chivalry Levi displayed. They stood by the podium, waiting for a server to seat them.

A young woman, looking flustered came up to them. "Two?" She asked. "Alright, follow me," she said after Levi gave a nod. She quickly seated them at a booth in the corner of the restaurant and handed them menus, hurriedly taking their drink orders.

"I'm going to the bathroom," Levi said. "Do you have to go?" Eren shook his head. "'Kay, I'll be back in a second."

Eren watched as Levi made his way around the corner to the bathroom. Once out of site, he pulled the menu closer to him and took a peek. He browsed the menu items briefly before deciding on the restaurant's classic burger. A sudden sense of dread washed over him when he saw the list of prices across from the items.

That's when he realized that he had absolutely no money. He was completely broke.

Before he could dwell on it, Levi returned to the table, slipping into the seat across from him. "Find anything you want?" He asked, opening his own menu.

"Y-yeah," he stuttered. Levi gave him a concerned look. "Um...Mr. Riv—I mean Levi. I don't have any money," Eren lowered his head. "I'm sorry, but I didn't have any to bring with."

Not taking his attention off of the menu, Levi responded with a shrug, "Well, I guess you're going to starve, then."

Eren tucked his head down even farther. That was what he thought. He couldn't expect Levi to pay for everything for him.

Levi reached across the table, nudging Eren's arm with his menu. "Jaeger, I'm kidding. I didn't expect you to bring any. You don't need to worry about it. I've got you covered."

Eren looked up, eyes widened slightly. "I'll pay you back once I get the money, I promise." He'd get a job once the summer was over, and make sure to repay the man for everything.

Before Levi could respond, the waitress appeared with their drinks. She took Levi's order first, scribbling in her notebook. Levi nodded when Eren looked at him after the girl asked what he wanted. He almost felt guilty ordering the burger.

"Look Jaeger," he continued once the waitress left. "I invited you to come with me and I wouldn't have if I wasn't prepared for it. You don't have to worry about money. You're a teenager and I had no expectations whatsoever about you bringing money. I have no issues in paying for things, so don't think anything of it."

Eren leaned back in the booth. "Thank you," he said hesitantly. Levi hummed in response, fiddling with the straw in his drink.

An air of silence spread over them, though it wasn't as awkward as previous scenarios. Eren's gaze remained on his glass of water. Playing with the paper ball he made with the straw wrapper, he ignored the intense staring coming from Levi.

"So, Jaeger," he said. Eren looked up, meeting his eyes. "I'm finding it hard to believe that you really didn't have any plans for this summer. Not that I'm complaining, but didn't your parents have any opposition? Do they even know what you're doing?" Levi hated having to ask, but his curiosity peaked. He didn't want to admit it, but he couldn't imagine that typical parents of a teenager would allow their child to disappear for an entire summer—not knowing who they were going with or what they'd be doing.

"Um," Eren bit the inside of his cheek, not sure if he wanted to share such things with someone he didn't know very well—not for his sake, but Levi's. He decided to go with the most basic answer he could think of. "I'm a foster child," he admitted. "My 'parents' pretty much stopped worrying about me when I turned eighteen. They couldn't care less about what I'm doing."

Levi's expression remained the same. "Ah," he acknowledged. "Well, I'm glad you could come up with me, then."

Eren smiled faintly. "Yeah, me too," he murmured.

Before either could speak again, the waitress appeared with a tray carrying their food. Eren's eyes widened at the size of his burger, suddenly feeling insecure about what he ordered compared to Levi's salad. Levi smirked and took a bite of his food. "Eat up," he said.

And, oh Eren did. It was the most delicious burger he'd ever had the pleasure of eating. "Oh my God, this is so good," he said, mid-bite, no longer bashful of his meal. It was too goddamn good to be embarrassed.

Levi chuckled. "You can't get food like this in the cities," he said.

Eren took another large bite and agreed, "No you can't."

Not long later, Levi's salad was finished and his glass was empty. Eren, however, was still eating. Half of his burger was gone and he strongly doubted he could finish the other half, not to mention his fries. He groaned when he bit into the burger, his stomach knowing he couldn't handle it.

Levi simply leaned back and watched as Eren struggled. "You know you don't have to finish that. You'll get sick if you even try, and I'll be very upset if you spew in my car. In fact, I'll make you clean it up, after I rub your nose in it." He laughed at the disturbed look Eren threw at him. "Seriously, Jaeger, just get a box. Bring it back to the cabin. Have it for breakfast, for all I care. Just don't finish it now."

Eren swallowed, wincing as he forced the food down. He nodded, "Yeah, I'm definitely done." He took a huge sip from his water.

Levi smoothly waved the waitress over and asked for their check. "Another reason why I come here: it's super cheap," he said, not to anyone in particular. He lifted from the booth to grab his wallet from his back pocket. He pulled out the appropriate bills and placed them into the black book. "Ready to go?" He asked when Eren finished putting the rest of his sandwich and fries into the foam box.

Scooting out of the seat, Eren said, "Yeah, let's go."

"Do you have to use the bathroom? I'd rather not make any more stops on the way up. It's getting dark and the road leading to the cabin is rather dangerous."

"Yeah, I'll go," Eren responded, handing his to go box to Levi.

* * *

Levi was right. It wasn't completely dark yet, but the sun was setting fast. Eren had no doubt that it would be dark by the time they got to the cabin.

The car ride was relatively quite once again. Eren felt his eyelids grow heavy, so he re-situated his hoodie against the window and rested his head against it. Just as his eyes closed, Levi stated, "You're not going to be able to sleep tonight if you take another nap."

Eren waved him off, knowing perfectly how well he would sleep, considering he always did. Eren could take twelve hour naps and still be able to sleep through the entire night. Lucky bastard.

Levi stifled a yawn, covering his mouth with one hand. He was jealous that Eren could sleep the drive away. Levi had always been one to go to bed at a decent hour during the night and wake up early in the morning. He wasn't a fan of sleeping the day away as he'd done that in previous part of his life. He'd much rather get things done early in the morning and have time to relax for the rest of the day.

With the way Eren was napping now, it seemed he'd be able to that with some company, unlike before. "Jaeger," he said, checking to see if Eren was still awake, but got no response. "Thank God," Levi muttered, swiftly unplugging Eren's iPod.

He much preferred to drive in silence and that music was shit.

* * *

Levi sighed in relief when he pulled up into the gravel driveway. He was thankful that Eren slept through the horrible road lasting for miles, because it was a complete nightmare. He was surprised that Eren didn't wake up when he shouted a curse as a deer bolted in front of the car, making Levi slam on the breaks.

He was thoroughly reminded why he never drove on that road while it was dark.

"Jaeger," he called, shaking the teen's shoulder. Eren only grumbled in his sleep, slapping his hand away. "What are you, five?" He mumbled, giving up on Eren for the time being. Instead, he jumped out of the car, circling to the back and opening the trunk. He dug passed Eren's things until he found the bag he was looking for.

Carrying the garbage bag full of linens to the front door, Levi climbed the few stairs and dug into his pocket for the key to the cabin. He opened the glass door and let it rest against his back as he unlocked the front door. Once open, he dragged the bag through the entry way, relishing in the smell of the place. Levi threw the bag into the bedroom he'd claimed many years before.

Unlocking the door to the Durango, he opened the passenger side door, hoping to wake Eren. "Come on, Jaeger. We're here." No response came from Eren, only a soft murmur. Not having the patience to deal with the kid's shit, Levi leaned over him and unbuckled his seat belt. He reached under Eren's arm to pull him out of the car, hoping Eren would wake up once his feet touched the ground.

Of course this kid was stubborn as fuck.

Levi nearly collapsed at the unexpected dead weight. Cursing, he gently kicked the door shut and locked the car before stuffing his keys into his pocket. He began trudging toward the front door, dragging Eren along the way. "Oh my God, you fucking dead weight. I thought you teenagers were supposed to stay up until four in the morning, not pass out at ten o'clock. Jesus Christ..." He complained the entire trek.

"Come on, Jaeger, help me out," he muttered as he maneuvered Eren so he could open the door without hitting either of them. Once inside, Levi made no hesitation and dragged Eren to the other bedroom on the first floor of the cabin. Deciding he didn't have the patience to move Eren so he could change the sheets, he simply pulled the comforter back and removed the throw pillows.

"Mmm," Eren mumbled.

"Oh, so now you're up? Nice timing...Come on, get in the bed." He helped as Eren groggily climbed into the bed, still wearing his day clothes. Levi didn't have the patience to even attempt to change them, plus he didn't imagine Eren would be too fond of him undressing him as he slept.

Eren lied comfortably on the bed, pulling the blankets up to his chin. Levi shook his head at the childish sight, frowning at the though of just how young Eren was. He decided to not think about it then, figuring he was too tired. He made his way to his own room, shivering along the way. He'd almost forgotten about how cold it got in the cabin, regardless of the season or temperature.

He took out a fresh set of linens from the garbage bag and set them on the dresser against the wall. He removed the throw pillows and stripped the bed of all of the blankets. With ease, Levi rapidly made the bed with clean sheets, wanting nothing more to climb in and get rid of cold he was feeling. Once the bed was made, he made a beeline to the dresser, searching for the warm pajamas he knew he kept in there. Still shivering, Levi changed into the warm clothes before flipping the light switch off and climbing into his bed.

It had been years since he slept in this bed, and he didn't realize until then how much he missed it. He curled his small body into a ball in attempts to warm up, though it seemed his efforts were worthless as he was still shaking and his teeth clattered.

Regardless, he managed to find sleep. Just as slumber was about to overtake him, a soft voice whispered, "Levi?"

Levi nearly jumped out of his skin, not expecting the voice. "Jaeger, Jesus Christ, you scared the shit out of me. What is it?"

"It's cold..." Eren said.

Levi paused, taking in Eren's (lack of) dress. The boy stood only in his boxers. "Maybe if you weren't practically naked, you wouldn't be cold," Levi stated. Eren was half asleep, not paying attention to Levi's words. He simply looked at Levi expectantly. "What do you want me to do about it?" He questioned.

"Could you move over?" Eren said...whined?

_He honestly turns into a five year old when he's half asleep..._

Debating his options, Levi scooted over to the left side of the bed, allowing Eren room to join. Eren nearly jumped into the warm bed, though he still shook from the cold. Levi moved to the farthest edge of the bed, lying flat on his back. Beside him, Eren turned onto his side so his back faced Levi. Both were visibly shivering.

"Levi?"

Levi sighed. "Yes?"

"I'm still cold."

Rolling his eyes, he said, "I don't know what you want me to do about it, Jaeger."

"...You could move closer..." Eren trailed off, mumbling something about body heat in a faint voice.

Eyes widening, Levi hesitated. After a few moments of bodies shivering and teeth chattering, Levi gave in, moving closer to Eren. He pressed against Eren's back, immediately feeling the warmth from the other.

Eren sighed, pushing back into Levi, delighting in the warmth that radiated from him. There was no doubt that they'd sleep well through the night.

* * *

_A/N: Thanks again for reading and reviews are very much appreciated :) _


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Sorry this took a longer than I'd planned! I got distracted and then slightly discouraged by the amazing fic 1994. If you haven't read it yet, you're missing out! I was a little sad that some situations in it were some that I wanted to include in The Cabin, but I'm hoping the way different settings will set them apart. Anyway, thank you all so much for reading and the reviews! The reviews guys omg. You're all being so kind and I love it. It makes my chest swell with excitement. You're also wonderful. I hope you enjoy this chapter :D_

**Warnings: **Language

* * *

Levi's eyes were wide open. He didn't have a clock to tell him what time it was and he couldn't reach his phone, but he figured it had to have been ten something. He'd been awake for hours—since seven at least.

He woke up in an unexpected position. Levi recalled falling asleep with his body next to Eren's, but it seemed that things changed at some point during the night. He was now lying on his right side with Eren pressed up against his back and arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

When he first opened his eyes that morning, Levi debated removing himself from the embrace to start the chores they had to do, but ultimately decided against it. The bed was far too warm and comfortable, plus he wasn't protesting against the lack of distance between him and Eren.

However, that was hours ago. Levi's bladder woke him up on more than one occasion, and each time, he would attempt to remove himself from Eren's embrace. With each movement he made, the grip around his waist would tighten, not improving his dire situation. Eventually, Levi learned to just lie still, hoping that the teenager would wake up soon.

Seriously, how could anyone sleep for that long? Eren napped pretty much the whole way up to the cabin went to bed at ten. If it hadn't been for the consistent puffs of breath on his neck, Levi would have thought that Eren died in his sleep.

The body against him was very much alive. Levi heard Eren's steady breathing and felt his chest rising and falling against his back. While it was easy to dismiss the hot breath on his neck, the arms wrapped tightly around his middle and the nose digging into the area between his shoulders, Levi couldn't ignore what he felt against the back of his upper thigh.

Oh, hell no.

Levi froze completely, realizing his current dilemma. Eren was very much hard against his leg. Through the thin layer of Eren's boxers and his pajama pants, Levi could make the erection out clear as day.

Fucking teenagers and their shitty ass hormones.

Once again, Levi attempted to escape from Eren's hold, being careful not to knock around his legs. Just as his previous endeavors, Eren secured his grip even more and pulled Levi closer. Levi tensed, sucking in a harsh breath when his leg brushed against Eren's erection. He gulped when Eren shifted behind him, releasing a small moan.

What would be worse: using his strength to unleash himself from the hold and piss the bed while he's at it, or allow that fucking kid to dry hump him in his sleep?

Eren woke just as the wonderful pressure against him tried to leave again. He tightened his arms and pulled it closer, rolling his hips up with a gasp.

"That is _not_ the way to ask for a favor."

Eren jumped, tearing his hands from Levi and nearly rolling off his side of the bed. Levi noticed the changes in Eren's breathing, knowing he was awake and decided then was a good time to speak. He didn't comment on Eren's actions any further, instead he simply got up from the comfort of the bed and went straight for the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Horrified, Eren watched as the door shut, flushing as soon as it did. Not only did he wake with embarrassing morning wood, but he dry humped Levi in his sleep. Eren, completely mortified, remained still, too shocked to even attempt to hide in shame. By the time he thought he could move, Levi already exited the bathroom.

Levi circled the bed over to the nightstand. Next to the small lamp and unset alarm clock, he unplugged his phone from the charger. He sighed when he saw the time. "I didn't realize it was this late," he said, cursing himself for allowing that to go on until eleven in the morning. "There's a lot of shit we have to get done today, so go take care of whatever it is you need to take care of, preferably somewhere I didn't just put on fresh sheets" he said bluntly. "I'm going to unload the car. Get ready to help out with things around here." With that, he left the bedroom, making a quick left to open the front door of the cabin.

After a moment, Eren sat up completely, swinging his legs so they dangled over the edge of the bed. He took in his surroundings, wondering how he got in there in the first place. He recalled falling asleep once again in the car after dinner, but couldn't remember arriving at the cabin.

The room around him wasn't what Eren had expected. It didn't look like a room belonging to a cabin, but more a room belonging to a house furnished to appear cabin like. The walls were made of polished wood, as well as the ceiling. The bed's headboard pushed against the middle of the wall, with the end of the bed pointing towards the doorway leading out of the room.

Eren looked up when he heard what must have been the front door of the cabin opening with a squeak. Levi appeared in the doorway, multiple bags in his hands. "Hurry it up, Jaeger. We don't have all day. And what did I say about doing that in the bed? Jesus, go to the bathroom or something."

Heat rising to his face, Eren spoke for the first time that morning, sleep still apparent in his voice. "I'm not doing anything," he said.

One of Levi's eyebrows raised. "Oh?" He stepped into the room and set the bags down near the dresser. "Then get your ass out of bed and help me."

Eren stood from the bed, and true to his word, his inopportune boner had subsided. He cocked his head, noticing what Levi was wearing: a long sleeve shirt and sweatpants...in the summer. "Why are you dressed like there's a blizzard and I'm almost naked?"

Levi waved his hand, gesturing for Eren to follow him. "It gets cold up here at night," he answered simply. "As to why you took your clothes off, I have absolutely no idea." He led Eren passed the entry way and through the small kitchen, taking him to the room he'd intended for him to stay in. "You'll probably find your clothes in there, as that's where I put you before you. Though, with the way you sleep, I wouldn't be surprised if you wandered off elsewhere before climbing into bed with me."

…

Huh?

Eren knew he was a heavy sleeper and it was nearly impossible to predict what he would do in his sleep. But climbing into a bed belonging to a man who he barely knew? That seemed outrageous and unlikely.

"Don't look at me like that, Jaeger," Levi sighed, pushing Eren into the room. "I didn't strip you down and force you into my bed. You did that on your own." He pointed towards a small pile of clothes lying on the unmade bed. "There. Get dressed and help me." With that, he left Eren in the small room, heading back out to the car.

Eren quickly shuffled his jeans back on, still curious as to why he took them off in the first place. The room he was in was small, the bed taking up almost all of it. The bed pressed up against the right wall and a small, unsteady looking table was to the left of it. An array of of blankets and quilts piled messily on top of the unmade bed.

Levi appeared suddenly, pushing Eren farther into the small room and chucked Eren's three bags onto the floor. "The car is unloaded, no thanks to you. And I see you're still not dressed yet. It's already eleven thirty and we have still have to wipe this place down completely and go into town for groceries. I'd much rather not drive back on that horrid road when it's dark."

Face heating up again, Eren quickly put his shirt on and left the small room, following Levi. Levi was back in his bedroom, making the bed. Eren looked back into the other room, glancing at the rather messy bed. Levi turned his head towards him, "Don't bother making it," he said. "You still have to change the sheets. No one has slept in there in over twenty years. I can't imagine them to be too clean."

Eren made a face of disgust, thinking of everything that could have collected on those blankets in the last twenty years. Gross. "And that's where I was supposed to sleep last night?" Eren questioned, suddenly feeling the urge to shower.

Levi smirked as he pulled the comforter up and over the pillows before placing the throw pillows on top. "Well, I tried waking you up, but you were too much of a fucking dead weight to be of any help. You can change them later, after we get back." He studied the room, deeming it clean enough for the time being. "For now, let's show you around the place."

Eren followed him out of the room and into the entryway. Levi slipped his shoes onto his bare feet, Eren mimicking him and exited the cabin. "That, over there, is the garage," Levi pointed to a building to the left. I don't usually park in there unless it's storming. It's where the grill and firewood is kept." The small building was painted a light blue and Levi's car was park a few feet in front of it. "And, over there, is the shed. To be honest, I have no idea what's in there. I've never had a need to go inside." The smaller building was to the right of them and painted a dull brown.

Eren turned to get his first look of the actual cabin. The first thing he thought was how odd the architecture was. The main part of the cabin was an A-frame styled structure and had an attachment to the right of it. "It's kind of weird looking," he blurted.

Levi hummed in agreement. "The big part was what my parents bought, then they added on to it later. I don't know why, though. It looks ridiculous...like the A-frame is backwards or something with the door on the add on."

That was it. That's what bothered Eren. It looked as if the main part or the add on was backwards. "Moving on." Levi headed back to the door, re-entering the cabin. He pointed to the right. "That's my room," he said. Then, straight in front of the door was a cabinet. "Here's the pantry." He then led Eren through the small kitchen. "The kitchen has a sink, oven, refrigerator, microwave and an electric stove. We'll have to get water, though, since the water here is disgusting."

Levi turned left which led to two doors. He gestured to the one on the right, "This is your room. If you don't like it and don't want to sleep with me, then you're shit out of luck because the room upstairs is out of question. I suppose you could sleep on the futon...but that's not very comfortable."

"This room is fine," Eren said. _Sleep with you, did you say? _

Nodding, Levi pointed to the left. "Here's the bathroom. There's a bathroom in my room too, but only this one has a shower," he said and walked deeper into the bathroom. He opened the glass door of the shower. "It works like every other shower. It's small as hell, but it works."

Small was right. Eren estimated the shower walls to be three feet by three feet. It was by far the tiniest shower Eren had ever seen. Not that he'd seen many showers. That was a lie. He'd seen far too many showers than he was ready to admit.

It was a cute shower. A cute tiny shower. Levi's cute tiny shower. Cute tiny Levi's cute tiny shower. Oh my god. Cute tiny Levi in the cute tiny shower.

Eren. What the fuck, man?

"It seems I have competition." Levi's voice brought Eren back. He looked at him, confused. "Are you done undressing the shower with your eyes?"

"I uhm...I wasn't...undress—what?" He stuttered.

"Yeah," Levi leered. "Mhm. Now, I'm going to show you something else, but you have to promise to keep your pants on."

Despite his embarrassment, Eren couldn't hide his small snort of laughter. Levi moved next to the sink, where a tall basket sat. "Here's the hamper. We don't have a washer or dryer, so we'll go to the laundromat once a week or whatever." He picked the hamper up and moved it to the side. Below it was some kind of hatch. "Since you got so flustered with the shower, I wonder how you'll react to seeing this..." He lifted the ring in the floor and raised the hatch. Eren looked down into the hole and saw nothing but dirt and dust. "That's the basement. It's big and dirty. How do you feel about that, Jaeger?"

Cheeks barely reddening, Eren rolled his eyes. "It looks scary. Like something in a horror movie."

"Yeah, that's why there's no need to ever go down there. Unless there's a storm, there's really no reason for it. It's just a large dirty pit. But hey, maybe you'll wanna roll around in it and take a shower afterward?"

Eren lowered his head in embarrassment. No, that was not at all what he wanted. Not even close to what he really wanted. Levi poked at his shoulder. "I'm only kidding," he said. Eren nodded, knowing that Levi was kidding, but it didn't make any less embarrassing. "Come on," Levi said, closing the hatch and replacing the hamper. "There's more to see." He tugged on Eren's shirt, leading them out of the bathroom and back into the kitchen.

The kitchen was a decent size. Small, but not crowded. There were two separate counters, one closer to the entrance of the cabin and one deeper into the kitchen. The one close to the door had a sink and multiple cabinets above and below it. The one farther away had nearly nothing on it and was beside the refrigerator. In the middle of the kitchen was a square wooden table with matching chairs on every side.

Connecting to the kitchen was the living room. The wood floor came to an end and blue carpet started. A blue futon was on the right of the room, pressed against the wall. A giant flat screen TV was across from the futon. Hundreds of movies lined up on a shelf beside the TV. "The living room is pretty boring. There's no TV channels, so you can really only watch movies and sleep in here."

They walked through the living room, toward another door leading outside. "What's up there?" Eren asked, pointing to a spiral, metal staircase. The staircase was very narrow and seemed awfully steep. Eren couldn't imagine it to be easy going up and down on.

Levi looked up the steps. "Don't worry about it. There's no need to go up there. With those stairs, it's dangerous, anyway."

Eren peaked up the stairs, agreeing they'd be a pain. Levi turned and unlocked a large wooden door before opening it. Beyond the door was a small screened in porch with two chairs and a little table. Levi pushed open the screen door connecting the porch to the outdoors. "Here's the back," he said.

Taking in his surroundings, Eren saw three different paths: one that seemed to circle the cabin, one that went right and the other that went left. Levi started up the left trail, Eren tagging behind him. The pathway was uphill but not too steep. The trail was lined with rocks and little stakes in the ground. "Those are solar lights," Levi pointed at one of the stakes. "They soak up energy and light up the path when it gets dark." He continued up the path, making a sharp left. "This what we called 'The Rock'. It's pretty much the only place you'll be able to get cell service."

So he would be able to call for help if Levi did turn out to be crazy. The thought comforted Eren.

He continued following Levi, watching as the path went from dirt to rock. The path suddenly went downhill, leading to a rock ledge, overlooking the lake. "Here's the fireplace," Levi pointed out, but Eren wasn't paying attention. His jaw dropped at the sight in front of him.

Everything was so incredibly blue and green. The lake was huge, not that Eren had seen many, despite where he lived. It looked as if it were made of glass with the lack of waves he'd expected. The land surrounding was an astonishing green—the leaves, the grass, the plants. It was beautiful.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Levi murmured after giving Eren a moment to absorb the image.

"It's beautiful," Eren replied.

Levi hummed in response, Eren too distracted to notice his frown. "Come on," he urged Eren back up the trail. "There's still some more." He passed Eren, allowing the teen to follow him. When they reached the point where the three paths met, Levi turned up the right one. He gestured toward the land between the two trails where Eren saw a long silver boat. "There's the canoe."

Eren's eyes narrowed, face hardening when he saw that little fucking boat. He hated canoeing. With a passion. Levi didn't notice, simply moving along the path. The trail, like the first one, went uphill before flattening out. Eren still couldn't believe how green everything was. He was used to the city—tar, factories, construction sites. He grew up in the city and he loved how absolutely wonderful the new setting was.

The trail turned into a wooden staircase, leading down to two docks. One of the docks looked like a simple raft, while the other was under a canopy, next to a motorboat. "Will we use the boat?" Eren asked.

Levi regarded the boat, shaking his head. "No," he said firmly. "I don't know how to use it. Plus, you wouldn't want to in this lake, to risk falling in. Look at the water," he directed.

Eren did, peering into the water. The water that looked so magnificently blue while atop of the rock now looked a disturbing copper. The metal the dock consisted of was rusty below the surface. "Ugh, why is it red?"

"Iron," Levi said. "This lake is known for it. You don't want to swim in there, unless you want your skin to turn orange. It's nearly impossible to wash off and takes days to get rid of. If you want to go swimming, though, there's plenty of other lakes and beaches nearby."

Eren nodded, still disgusted by the water. "Well, that's it," Levi stated. "Time to clean the place and then we'll head into town for groceries."

He turned his back to the water, making his way back up the stairs, Eren trailing behind him. Back inside the cabin, Levi pulled a broom out of closet and handed it to Eren along with a dust pan. "Sweep the kitchen, entryway, and the tiles in both of the bathrooms," were his instructions. Eren did as he was told, making sure to get in every nook and cranny.

Levi grabbed a small vacuum cleaner out of the same closet and immediately began running it over the carpets in the living room and bedrooms. Eren almost laughed when Levi pulled out an attachment for the vacuum and ran it over the fabric of the futon.

When Eren completed sweeping, he was directed to wipe down every single hard surface in the kitchen and living room.

Cleaning didn't take a long time. With the two of them working together, and Levi's abnormal ways of getting things done, they finished within two hours. It was nearing two o'clock, by then. Not having eaten breakfast, Eren was starving. The thought was thoroughly confirmed when his stomach made a sound of protest.

Levi chuckled at the sound. "Now that that's all done, we can go into town and get some lunch. Sound good?"

"Sounds way good," Eren agreed.

* * *

It was quiet inside the car, the seemingly unavoidable awkwardness returning. As they drove, Eren came to the conclusion that the narrow road they were on was never going to end. He assumed they were driving for at least ten minutes and the road still winded and twisted, never ending. He pulled his phone out, sighing when he realized they'd only been driving for three minutes.

The gravel road was so narrow, only one car could fit on it at a time. There was one occasion when they met a car going the opposite way and Levi had to pull over to let them get by. Levi drove slow, slowing even further at every twist and hill.

Eren was visibly tense. He knew the cabin was far away from most civilization, but he hadn't realized just how _deep _into the forest they were. Nervousness overcame him, suddenly not knowing what he was doing.

Eren couldn't help but question his decisions—couldn't help but question Levi's intentions.

Before he could dwell on it any longer, Levi spoke up. "This road is excruciating," he complained. "It's even worse at night. Sorry the ride is so long, but it takes at least twenty minutes to get into town."

"It's fine," Eren said. He was just hungry...and confused. At least, soon, he'd be able to relieve one of those feelings. He remained quiet, looking out the window, being careful not to press his head against the window.

Levi shot him a concerned glance at the monotone response. He sighed when he saw just how tense Eren was. He didn't expect any less, though. Levi hoped that after the first night Eren would've loosened up a little bit, but it seemed he hadn't. Not that Levi could blame him, considering the awkward morning they had.

Eren thought the same thing. It wasn't helping him thinking about the situation he'd woken up in. He turned his head more, hiding the inevitable blush he couldn't keep down. "I'm sorry," Eren mumbled, still with his head down.

Levi's eyebrows raised. "Oh? What for?" He couldn't recall Eren doing anything that required an apology.

"I'm sorry...for," he stumbled. Jesus, Eren. Just apologize for rubbing your dick on his leg. No big deal. Yeah, alright. Big deal. "I'm sorry for this morning," he apologized, voice barely above a whisper.

Eren jumped at the laugh that came from Levi. "Jaeger, just forget about it. It's alright. You're a teenager—that shit's normal. You don't have to apologize, really."

Blush intensifying, Eren added, "But still. I _am _sorry. I really didn't mean to—,"

Levi cut him off, "Stop apologizing, Jaeger," he looked at the poor kid. "It's okay, honestly," he said, continuing the drive. The narrow road finally met with another, one less restricted. "Just know for future references or whatever, humping someone in your sleep is not the greatest way to get rid of morning wood."

Face impossibly red, Eren nodded. "I think I've figured that out."

Still laughing, Levi responded, "Good."

Five minutes passed and the second dirt road finally met with tar. Levi turned right. Eren continued to look out the window, watching as they drove passed a small airport. Not too long later, Levi turned onto a highway.

It wasn't much longer until they reached the incredibly small town. "What sounds good for lunch?" Levi asked as he drove along the main street. Little diners and shops lined both sides of the street. Groups of people strolled on the sidewalks, meandering through the various shops and taking a look at advertising racks out on the pavement.

"Food sounds nice," Eren said, distracted as he peered out the window. He was surprised at the amount of cars on the street, considering how small the town was. He was even more surprised at the amount of out of state license plates he saw.

Levi took a hand off of the wheel and poked Eren hard in the shoulder. "Alright smartass, what kind of food do you want? Do you like pizza?"

"I love pizza," Eren stated. Oh God, if he could make love to any food, it would be pizza. Or maybe spaghetti. But that would be kind of hard...at least with pizza, he could like, roll it up or poke a hole in it or something, but that would be hard to do with spaghetti noodles.

Focus, Eren. Fucking hormones...you're not that desperate. Don't fuck food. That's gross.

Eren came back to his senses just as Levi pulled into a pizza place's parking lot. Eren stared at the building, confused. "I never would have guessed there would be a Pizza Hut in the middle of nowhere," he said, stepping out of the car.

Levi scoffed. "But you see, Jaeger, we're in the _center _of the middle of nowhere. Of course there's a Pizza Hut."

Eren simply snorted in response, following the other into the restaurant.

In the booth, the two looked at their menus. "What kind do you like?" Levi asked, peaking over his menu.

Eren skimmed over the topping choices, none of them really his favorite. "I'll eat anything, but I prefer pepperoni," he said.

The corner of his lips barely curling up, Levi hid his slight smile behind the menu. "Pepperoni it is, then." He was glad that Eren was starting to speak up instead of just letting him make all the decisions for the two of them. Levi wanted this getaway to be enjoyable for both of them and not just him dragging the younger around all over the place.

Despite it all, Eren wasn't talkative. Why, Levi didn't know. He had a few guesses, however. Eren could be shy, nervous, still embarrassed from the events that morning or perhaps he simply didn't have anything to say. Levi dismissed the last possibility, knowing well just how much Eren enjoyed talking. There wasn't a single day in class that passed by without him having to tell the student to shut up. Levi concluded it was the nerves.

Whatever the reason was, they sat in silence, they ate in silence and then they drove in silence, except for the cruddy music playing softly. "You know, Jaeger, it's okay to talk. You know...make conversation. It's how you get to know someone."

Eren turned to look at Levi . "I know that," he stated, admitting, "I just don't know what to talk about."

They hadn't been in the car for even two minutes, and already, Levi pulled into a grocery store parking lot. "You can talk about anything," Levi said, parking the car. "What's your favorite movie? Why do you listen to such horrible music? Talking about the weather would be better than this silence."

Eren furrowed his eyebrows as he followed Levi into the store, waiting as he grabbed a shopping cart. "I don't listen to horrible music," he said.

Yes you do, Eren. He got you there.

"It's pretty bad," Levi disagreed. "Though, I suppose I shouldn't complain. It could be worse. You could be listening to what's popular now...I probably would have thrown your iPod out the window within ten minutes. Maybe less."

Eren had nothing to say in his defense, because Levi was absolutely right. His music taste sucked, but he'd never been one to care. Eren enjoyed the music that came from any time before 2008. Anything after that, Eren thought was awful. Not that the shit from 2008 wasn't bad, it just wasn't quite as terrible.

He was proud of the music on his iPod. A lot of his songs were and whenever one of them came on, he couldn't help but think of the memories that came with them.

"Since my music is so bad, what do you listen to?" Eren questioned as they started down the first aisle.

Levi hummed as he thought about his answer. He picked up a couple of things from various shelves and set them into the cart before responding. "I don't listen to music," he answered simply.

"Then what gives you any right to insult my taste?" Eren accused.

Levi picked up two boxes of different brands of the same product, comparing their labels. "I never insulted your taste. I'm just saying it's not something I would listen to." With that, he decided between the two brands, placed the box into the cart and continued down the aisle, leaving Eren behind.

Now irritated, Eren caught up to him. "So, asking me why I listen to such horrible music _isn't _insulting my taste?"

Levi looked at him, "Exactly," he agreed.

They completed the first aisle and turned down the second. "How do you figure?"

Sighing, Levi realized his mistake. "It's personal preference, Jaeger," he said. "I think that whatever is on your iPod isn't good, but I'm not insulting your taste just because I don't like it."

Eren opened his mouth, ready to defend himself, but Levi swiftly cut him off, "Is this our first fight? Aww," he cooed with a smirk.

Sudden realization hit Eren. "You're arguing on purpose?"

Levi picked up his pace, seeing as there was nothing in that particular aisle that they needed. "It's fun riling you up," he admitted, grinning. "It was fun in class and it's fun now."

"You're an ass..." Oh Eren...was that a pout?

"But I got you talking so I consider that to be a success. I'm an ass and you seem to like talking when you're hungry or irritated. See, we're learning things." He continued adding things to the cart. "Oh, Jaeger, stop sulking. At your age, if my only problem was someone not liking the music I listened to, my life would have been a whole lot easier. And, like I said, I was just busting your balls. A joke. No need to get pissy with me."

Eren still frowned. "You have a bad sense of humor."

"I'm well aware," Levi acknowledged. "And look, you're already learning more. How about we drop this topic, and you quit the pouting. It's cute but it makes me feel bad." They turned down the next aisle, an aisle stocked with all sorts of junk food. Chips, soda, cookies, candy—the lot. "Now, pick out whatever you want. There's no limit. I have plans for this evening and junk food is a necessity."

Who was Eren to argue? Free junk food fuck yes. "What kind of plan requires junk food?" Shut the fuck up, Eren. Who cares?

Levi was looking at the countless shelves of chips, deciding on what flavors he wanted. "Since we had a pretty late lunch, I was assuming that a large dinner would be pointless so I was hoping for a night of watching stupid movies and stuffing ourselves with junk food. You know, while we're young."

"That sounds like an awesome night," Eren said, distracted by the treats.

The shopping cart was filled to the brim, the top mostly being sugary and salty snacks. Up at the checkout counter, Eren assisted Levi in moving everything from the cart up onto the conveyor belt. Eren pushed the cart out of the way and back to where it belonged as Levi paid the cashier. Another clerk came up and began bagging all of the groceries. Levi kept his head down as he gestured for Eren to follow him, the clerk with their bags right behind them.

Levi opened the trunk of his Durango and waited to the side to allow the clerk to move the groceries from the cart into the car. Levi gave a short thank you when the task was completed and closed the trunk.

Eren seemed confused by the bag boy's actions. "I bet you've never had that kind of service in the cities, have you, Jaeger?" Eren shook his head. No he hadn't. People in the cities were much more rude and less likely to strike up conversations. Up there, though, Eren noticed people were friendlier, though they often looked away and avoided eye contact whenever he and Levi passed by. Eren shrugged it off as them being strangers in a small town where everyone knew everyone.

Levi started the cars engine and quickly maneuvered out of the parking lot. "I just have one more stop to make and then we can head back." Eren nodded, reclining his head back on the head rest. The town was so small, Eren thought. It seemed to have one main road with only one working stoplight and businesses and restaurants on either side. Most of the businesses Eren saw were either gift shops or fishing supply stores.

Levi turned down one of the smaller streets connecting to the main street and parked in front of one of the buildings. "A music store? I thought you didn't like music."

"I don't. I know most of the workers here and I thought I'd stop by to say hello. I'd prefer if you'd stay in the car. They're all...strange."

With the look Levi gave him, Eren knew not to question him. Instead, he sunk back in his seat, nodding. "It will only take a few minutes." With that, he closed the driver's side door and headed for the front door of the shop, leaving Eren to observe the small town around him.

A bell jingled when Levi entered the store. He scanned the room, pleased to see that he was the only customer. He strolled past rows displaying various genres of CD's and made his way to the front counter.

One of the two men looked up as Levi approached. His eyes widened and he swiftly slapped the arm of the man standing beside him. The second man had long hair and clean shaven face. He glanced at his partner, questioning the hit. When the first man, a man with shorter, shaggier hair and a thin beard, motioned his head forward, he looked up. A smirk spread across his face. "You're the last person I expected to stop by the shop, Corporal."

Levi grimaced and clicked his tongue at the nickname. "Don't call me that," he growled, wondering if it was a good idea to even go into the store.

The man's eyebrow barely twitched. "I apologize," he said, no sincerity in his words. "Please indulge me, what brings you in today, Levi? I was under the impression that you were off."

He ran his fingers through his hair, deciding that, yes, it was a horrible idea to go inside. "I have a friend up with me and he needs a bit of loosening up. I figured you could help me out. You have anything?"

The man with the long hair grinned. "I have everything." The man next to him still remained nervous.

"Get me a bag," Levi said.

Mr. Long Hair looked at his partner, signaling him to run the errand. When the other scampered to the back, he put his attention back onto Levi. "What brings you back up? I thought you were still in the cities. Teaching, am I right?"

Levi nodded, sighing. "I needed a break from the constant blur and then I met someone. I thought it would be a nice change to come up after so long."

The other guy returned before the clean faced man could respond. "Here you go, Levi," he said.

Levi glared at the bag and it's contents. "What the fuck is that? I said I want to loosen him up, not ruin his fucking life. What the hell, man?"

He regarded the white powder in the bag. "It's your usual...I just thought—"

"You thought wrong," Levi interrupted. "God, you're all such fucking idiots. Get me something else—something that won't fucking break him." Rivaille scowled as the man ran back into the back room. "You were saying?" He said to the man behind the counter.

"Who's your friend?"

"No one you know," he stated.

"Will you introduce us at some point?" The man peered out of one of the windows in the store, looking to get a glimpse at said friend.

"Absolutely not. I wouldn't allow him to be within ten feet of you fucking assholes. Not for your sake, but for his."

"Aw, don't be like that, Corporal. With the way you're talking, I'm assuming he doesn't know, does he?"

Levi spat a harsh, "Fuck no. And I intend to keep it that way. What did I say about calling me that shitty name? It was fucking stupid the first time and it still is."

The man held his hands up. "There's no need to get prissy with me. I was asking a simple question. I never expected you to settle down with one person, Levi. Forgive me if I'm a little curious."

Levi shook his head, exasperated. "Yeah, fine. Fucking whatever. Just keep your gross hands to yourself and control your imagination. I never said anything about settling down so you can refrain from voicing your stupid thoughts."

The man returned with a smaller bag with more natural contents. "How's this?" He asked, setting the bag onto the counter.

"Perfect," Levi voiced, snatching the baggy and hiding it in a pocket inside of his sweater. Without another word, he turned on his heel and headed for the door.

"Wait, you have to pay for that!" The one with short hair exclaimed. Levi merely responded by flipping them the bird behind his head.

"Let him go," the other said, wondering why Levi would bring someone apparently important to him up to such a place as that.

Levi simply kept his gaze ahead of him as he left the shop. Oh yes. He did have some interesting plans for the evening.

* * *

_A/N: Thanks again for reading and reviews are very much appreciated! _


	4. Chapter 4

**Warnings: **Language, mentions rape, drug use

* * *

The ride back to the cabin seemed to pass faster than the drive into town. Perhaps because Eren expected the amount of time it would take to return. Nothing could prepare him for the horrible, twisting road. He hated how narrow it was and how it seemed to never end. Eren tried to keep track of the number of turns but ultimately lost track. Instead, he attempted to identify aspects of the scenery.

Levi turned left at a fork in the road. Thank God...Eren thought that if they had gone right, it looked like they would have been heading down into some Texas Chainsaw Massacre bullshit. He was already nervous. He didn't need that fucker, Leatherface to chase after him and slice his leg off.

It took them about six minutes from the first turn off of the main road onto the narrow road to get to the fork. That's what Eren guessed, at least. At times, it felt like they were driving in circles, but Levi seemed to know exactly where they were going.

A few more minutes passed and they reached another fork. Just before they turned, Eren noticed a strange looking boulder to the left. From afar, it looked like a...gorilla? Eren always had a wild imagination.

It wasn't long before Levi pulled up into the cabin's hidden driveway and parked in front of the garage. They unloaded the trunk, looping copious amounts of plastic bags around their wrists and hands until the car was empty. Eren was glad he wasn't the only one willing to break his arms rather than making a second trip. Second trips were for pussies.

Levi even resorted to biting a bag's handles and held it in his mouth in order to free a hand to unlock the front door. Once inside, he took the bag out of his mouth and said to Eren, "Set the bags on the far counter."

Eren did and took a glance at the time displaying on the microwave. He was surprised when he noticed that they spent at least four hours in town and it was already six o'clock. He watched as Levi put the groceries away, feeling useless that he couldn't help.

"Jaeger, will you put these things into the fridge?" Levi asked, gesturing to the food he was setting aside onto the counter. "Fruit goes in the left drawer, vegetables in the right. Everything else can go anywhere."

Eren nodded, crossing the kitchen to stand next to Levi and began placing the food into the refrigerator. "You know, you can call me Eren," he stated.

Levi balled up all of the plastic bags and threw them into the cupboard under the sink. "I'm aware," he replied. "Old habits are hard for me to break." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Looking around, he concluded the cabin was now up to his picky standards. He could finally relax.

"Hey." Eren looked up. "I'm going to take a quick shower. Why don't you pick out some movies that you want to watch?"

Eren nodded. "Yeah, okay," he said, watching as Levi grabbed some clean clothes from his room and head into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Eren moved from the kitchen and into the living room. He stopped in front of the rows of movies on the huge case next to the television. Not only were the countless amounts of movies (seriously, there had to be more than three hundred) alphabetized, but they were categorized by genre as well.

That was strange, but Eren didn't dwell on it. He was actually grateful for the organization because, when he got the chance to watch any movies in his home, he'd be lucky to find one with the proper disk in its case.

Levi had every kind of movie imaginable. There was a section of horror, a section of drama, a section of romantic comedies. There was even a small section of childrens' movies. What caught Eren's attention were the three rows of movies with titles he's never heard of. Not really caring what they watched, except for horror, (he didn't need to add to his anxiety) Eren blindly picked three movies he hasn't seen.

He set the small stack of cases onto the TV stand. He hesitated as he went to sit on the futon. Everything in the cabin looked so pristine and perfect, Eren almost felt guilty in messing with that. He shook his head and sighed, reprimanding himself for acting so silly. It's a futon. Of course you're supposed to sit on it.

Just as he plopped back onto the futon, resting his back on a pillow, Levi exited the bathroom. He wore navy blue sweatpants with a long sleeve white shirt. "The shower is yours," he spoke as he toweled his hair. "I'd wait a few minutes, though, otherwise you'll have cold water."

Eren hummed, agreeing that it was probably best that he take a shower, considering he hadn't taken one since the night before they left. After hanging the towel back up in the bathroom, Levi asked, "What movies did you pick out?"

"Just some that I've never seen," Eren answered, pointing to the small stack.

Levi picked up the cases, seeing what Eren chose. He froze at the second title, "You've never seen this?" He held the movie up. He gaped when Eren shook his head. "Are you kidding? This is the best movie."

"Yeah, I've never seen it," Eren said cautiously.

"Well, we're going to watch it. Go shower, and I'll get everything ready. Everything you need is in the shower and there's towels and washcloths beneath the sink." Levi opened the case, removing the disk and it into the player.

He stood up from the couch and searched for fresh clothes in his designated room before going into the bathroom beside the room. The towels and cloths were right where Levi said they would be. After he hung the towel up on the second hook, Eren pulled the glass door open and turned the shower on. As he waited for the water to heat up, he shuffled out of his dirty clothing.

God, that shower was tiny. Eren could touch reach out and touch the door and side without barely bending his arms. Though it was small, the shower was functioned all the same. The caddy that hung from the shower head held bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash. A new bar of soap was set on the little jutting.

Eren washed quickly, not particularly enjoying the mist. It was hard water and had an unpleasant, metallic taste to it. He rinsed the soap off of his body and pushed the knob in, turning the shower off. He stepped out of the shower and onto the rug placed in front of it, drying off his hair, face and chest, not bothering to dry his legs.

Once he was dressed in his sweatpants and plain T-shirt, Eren left the bathroom. He stepped into the kitchen where Levi was, standing in front of the wooden table. Bowls lined up on the table, filled with various kinds of chips, surrounded by packages of cookies and tubs of ice cream.

The amount of junk food was far too much for two people.

"Jeez," Eren whistled. "It looks like you're throwing a party."

Levi glanced up from the food. "Oh? You don't seem like the partying type, Jaeger. How would you know?" He said with a slight smirk.

"I've been to my share of parties."

Levi scoffed, "Dungeons and Dragons get-togethers don't count." He poured the contents of one last potato chip bag, the Doritos Eren picked out at the store, into another bowl.

"I don't play Dungeons and Dragons," Eren snapped, mildly offended. He looked at all of the food Levi had set out on the table. There was Doritos, Tostitos, Lays, Pringles, Oreos, and oh God, were those Twinkies?

Hidden among the copious amount of heavenly junk food, was the small baggie. It almost went unnoticed by Eren, but he caught sight of it just as he was about to look away. "What's that?" He flicked a finger towards the clear bag. It was pretty damn obvious what it was, but Eren still felt the need to ask.

Levi glimpsed at what Eren point to and answered, simply, "Weed."

Eren blanched. He wasn't too sure what to think about the situation. "Why?"

"I figured we could smoke some," Levi said, picking up the bag. "You're so tense and weed usually does a good job of loosening people up."

"I was told, by you specifically not to do drugs. Isn't that kind of hypocritical?" The statement was true. Eren's class had a long health unit, one of the topics being the dangers of drugs and why it's a bad idea to do them.

Levi waved the statement off. "I'm paid to say that. I'm not saying to go out on a cocaine binge, or anything. Weed is practically harmless. It's less harmful than tobacco and alcohol." He could have gone on, preaching why marijuana wasn't the horrible thing that it was made out to be.

Eren looked away, still unsure. "I'm not going to make you do it, Jaeger. If you don't want to, that's fine. We can watch movies and eat shitty food without it. It's no big deal. Here," he handed Eren a bowl of chips, taken aback when he didn't accept them. Levi looked at the contents, making sure they were the right ones. "You picked these out, right? Here."

Once again, Eren declined and took a step back. "Are they laced with anything?" He questioned, cautiously.

Levi's eyebrows knitted together. "No? Wow, things have changed since I've been in school. I wasn't aware you could lace Doritos with anything."

"Oh," was all Eren had to say in response.

Setting the bowl back onto the table, Levi said, "Why do you ask?

There were many times where Eren couldn't keep his thoughts to himself, usually getting him into serious trouble. He was never an overly chatty kind of teenager, but there were moments when unthoughtful, disrespectful, rude or just plain insulting phrases tumbled out of his mouth.

Normally, the things he said were fairly harmless. However, he learned early on that Levi didn't take a liking to his tasteless babbling. For instance, the first day of gym class—perhaps calling the teacher a vertically challenged frog to make himself seem cool was not a good idea. Levi didn't seem too bothered by the statement and instead of chewing Eren out in front of the class, or sending him to the principal's office, he made Eren his demonstration bitch.

Eren thought that after the humiliation he felt at times in class, he'd learned to know when to keep his damn trap shut.

"I don't want you to drug me and rape me."

That was not one of those times.

Instantly, Levi froze. He clutched the table until his knuckles turned white. His eyes narrowed and his face hardened. "_What?" _He hissed through clenched teeth.

Eren stood still, wide eyed. Levi made a sound in his throat and brushed by Eren, stopping in front of the sink, grabbing a rag. He stilled in front of the table once more and looked up at Eren. "Is that why you've been so tense? You think I'm going to _rape _you?"

Eren opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

Levi wiped the crumbs from the chips with the rag and into his hand. He threw them away into the garbage can beneath the sink. "I was going to come up here, anyway," he started. "It didn't matter if I was alone or not, but I appreciated having company because it gets pretty damn lonely up here." Levi brought the rag back to the sink and rinsed it out. "I asked you to come with because I wanted company. I wouldn't ask just anyone to come with."

He wasn't mad. He wasn't irritated. Despite what his expression showed, Levi was genuinely upset. "I can't change what you think of me, Jaeger, but I'm most definitely not a rapist or an abuser." He ran the rag over the counter surrounding the sink, keeping his head down. "The point of this was to get away for awhile, and maybe to see where we," he gestured at the two of them, "Could go. Maybe I read into it wrong, but I swore you felt the same.

"I don't care if you've changed your mind or not," he continued. "Either way, I'm not going to hurt you. At any time, if you want to go home, I will take you home. You didn't have to come in the first place if you felt uncomfortable. I wouldn't have done anything about it if you'd said no.

"I thought it would be fun to smoke a bit and watch stupid ass movies and eat shitty food. I have absolutely no intention to get you fucked up to take advantage of you. If you don't want to, that's fine. Hell, I'll go flush it now, but please, don't accuse me of doing that. I may be many things, but a monster isn't one of them."

By then, he'd calmed sufficiently down, though his hands still trembled detectably. Levi wasn't mad at Eren. He wasn't even upset with Eren. As he said, Levi had many traits, and the majority weren't favorable. He was agitated that he came off as such a thing.

Once more, Levi rinsed the rag out in the sink, draping it over the side. He looked back at Eren with a softer face. "Do you want to go home? I'll take you home if you don't like it or if you're uncomfortable up here. Whatever the reason is, if you want to go home, I'll take you."

Eren hadn't moved. He knew he made a mistake by what he said, but he would be lying if he said the thought wasn't somewhere in the back of his mind. While he was comforted that Levi wasn't going to hurt him, Eren knew he upset him.

The room was silent. Levi waited for Eren to answer with his head lowered. He peaked up when Eren finally broke the silence. "I'm sorry," he said, barely above a whisper. "I didn't think that you were a—a...Well, I wasn't s-sure. I didn't mean to offend you," he said. "I just," Eren paused, searching for the right words. "I don't know what to think about this—this whole thing."

"Neither do I." Levi picked up the previously discarded bowl of chips and offered it to Eren. "But I'm not going to hurt you. Why don't we wait to figure it out and, in the meantime, eat bad food and watch horrible movies?"

Eren accepted the bowl with a small smile. "That sounds good," he agreed.

Levi grabbed the chips of his choice and the baggie that caused the trouble in the first place. "I'm going to get rid of this first and then we can start the movie."

"Wait." Levi stopped. "You don't _have _to get rid of it. I'm not exactly against it, I just didn't know what your intentions were."

"Are you sure?" Levi asked with a raised eyebrow. "If you don't want to, you don't have to. Though, I wouldn't mind. This is my favorite movie and I don't think I've ever seen it sober. I'd hate to ruin it for myself."

Eren laughed at that. "It's fine, really."

"Okay..." Levi said slowly, still questioning. He gave one last glance at Eren, looking for any sign of doubt. Not finding any, he moved to shuffle around in a cupboard, searching for a few things he recalled storing before he left all those years ago.

When he found the items he was looking for, Levi set them down on the table, pushing the bowls of chips toward the side. "I'll be just a few minutes," he said, sitting down into one of the chairs. "You can start the movie or you can watch, if you want."

Eren slid another chair and sat beside Levi . "I'll watch." And watch, he did. Eren knew absolutely nothing about marijuana, other than what he learned in class. He observed as Levi grated the drug in a grinder. "You've done this before," he stated. Levi's nimble fingers expertly rolled the joint.

"Just a few times," Levi laughed. He licked his fingers and ran them along the paper, sealing it.

Eren didn't want to sound accusing, but he was curious. "Have you done anything else?"

Levi stood up with the joint, a lighter and ashtray in his hands. He crossed the kitchen into the living room and set the items onto the stand beside the futon. "What's your definition of 'anything else'?" He sat down on the futon, motioning for Eren to join him.

Eren sat to the right of him, at the other end of the futon. "Cocaine?" He asked as Levi turned the TV and DVD player on and switched to the proper channel.

Levi snorted. "Yes." He skipped through all of the commercials for other movies until the main menu popped up.

"Ecstasy?"

"Yep."

"Ketamine?"

Levi's eyes widened. "Jesus, kid, you know your drugs. Yes."

Eren really knew nothing about drugs—only what he'd seen in movies and TV. "Meth?"

Swallowing first, Levi responded with a small, "Mhm." Not that he was proud of it, because he wasn't.

"Oxycontin?"

Levi nodded.

"Heroine?" Eren was certainly shocked at what he was learning.

Levi hesitated. After a moment, he sighed, answering with, "Yeah, once. It wasn't a very good experience, so I never did it again." Also one he wasn't proud of.

Eren wasn't sure what to think about it. He assumed that Levi dabbled in a few less than holy things for the sake of experimentation. After that last answer, it seemed that it was much more. He didn't necessarily see Levi in a new kind of light, but it certainly wasn't something he expected.

"Why did you stop?" He asked.

Levi clicked his tongue. "To be honest, I don't know. I suppose I woke up one day and decided that it was complete bull shit."

Eren was quiet, not sure how to respond, if he should even respond. "You don't want to know the rest of these stories, Jaeger. Let's watch the movie." With that, Levi hit play on the remote. He reached to his left and grabbed the joint and the small, orange lighter.

Eren watched, not fascinated, but more curious as Levi lit the end. He leaned back against the couch, brought the joint to his lips and took a small drag. He exhaled with a cough. "Fuck that's good shit," he groaned, letting his head fall back. Rolling his head to the side, Levi caught Eren staring "Are you going to watch me or the movie? Because if you're not going to watch the movie, I'm turning it off. It's disrespectful."

That made Eren snort. "How is it disrespectful?" He looked at the screen, seeing nothing special about what was playing. It seemed like an old, pointless comedy.

Levi took another hit before he laughed, "I don't know...an insult to Mike Meyers or something like that."

"What's this even about?"

Shifting, Levi moved so his feet were under him. "It's about two guys that have a TV show that they film in one of their parents' basements."

Eren furrowed his eyebrows, glancing at the TV once more. "That's it?" Definitely didn't sound like the kind of movie he would enjoy. Seemed like some Napoleon Dynamite shit.

"Mhm," Levi hummed around the joint. "It's great."

_If you say so. _

Eren kept his eyes on the screen, watching the movie and finding absolutely no humor in it. At one point, he did crack a small smile that quickly changed into a sharp laugh when Levi reacted. He'd turned into a fit of giggles at the scene. Eren simply watched him with amused eyes. He had no clue what was so funny, but Levi's actions sure were entertaining.

"Did you get it?" Levi eventually rasped. Eren made a face, shaking his head. He wasn't aware that a joke was even said. "Imagine it, Jaeger. Monkeys flying out of his butt!" He cracked himself up all over again.

Eren merely chuckled, more at Levi than the 'joke'. No, he didn't get it or why it was funny. It actually sounded rather painful. Levi took another hit from the joint and tapped the ash at the end into the ashtray. "Hey," he called. Eren looked up as Levi scooted closer to the center of the futon. "Want to try?" He asked, holding the joint up.

He bit the inside of his cheek, hesitating. "Sure," he eventually decided. Doing drugs with teachers, oh yeah. Party time. Excellent.

Levi smirked, beckoning Eren closer. "Come here, then. Let me show how." Eren moved from the side of the couch and sat directly next to Levi . "Have you ever smoked before? Cigarettes or anything?" Levi asked as he grabbed the ashtray and tapped the end of the joint on the edge. Eren shook his head. "Here, it's easy." He brought the drug up to his own mouth and breathed in. "Inhale," he gasped, mid breath. After a few seconds, he released the smoke. "Exhale. Don't hold it in for too long."

"Okay." He allowed Levi to place the joint between his lips.

"Breathe in," Levi told him. Eren did, immediately feeling the hot smoke filling his lungs. "Stop," he paused. "Now let it out."

Instead of exhaling, Eren released all of the smoke with a harsh cough, followed by a fit of hacking. Levi rubbed his back as he regained his composure. "Breathe," Levi cooed, knowing how unpleasant smoking for the first time was. "Relax, that's completely normal for the first time." He kept his hand on Eren's back and took another drag, blowing the smoke in the opposite direction. "How do you feel?"

Eren couldn't describe the feeling at all. He could only recall the hot smoke and a nondescript, yet not unpleasant taste. He responded with a simple, "Good."

Levi wiped the wetness from the corner of Eren's eye that accumulated during the fit. "Want to try again?" Levi had long already felt the effects. He brought the joint back up to Eren's lips when he nodded. "Try not to inhale as much so you don't cough," he suggested.

Eren's second try was better—much easier. He still coughed after he exhaled, but it was overall more graceful. Well, as graceful as one could get while smoking pot with their former teacher. _Not your teacher anymore. Get with it, Eren. _"Much better," Levi said. "Feeling anything yet?"

Eren was feeling it, alright. His head felt fuzzy and delightfully light. "Let me try one more." He almost shivered at Levi's deep chuckle. _Almost._

"Easy there," he laughed, but didn't deny the request. "Too much of a good thing can make you sick." Nonetheless, he held the joint up for Eren. That time, Eren blew the smoke out with little difficulty and no coughing. "You learn fast," he complimented.

Suddenly not feeling any boundaries, Eren rolled his head to the side and rested it on Levi's shoulder. Though the position was uncomfortable and put strain on his neck, he'd be damned if he moved. The fact that Levi's hand was still placed comfortably between his shoulder blades was worth the strain. The thought was thoroughly confirmed when his hand made a warm trail down his spine to rest on Eren's lower back.

Eren flicked his foggy eyes back to the screen, commenting, "Hey, I know this song," when the main characters put a tape in the car's player.

"Good, it's a classic. I would have punched you in the neck if you didn't know it." Levi said, taking another long drag. The joint was burnt a little more than halfway. He looked around the couch for something to eat, cursing when he realized he forgot the snacks on the table. After he passed the joint to Eren, he removed his hand from Eren's back and stood up. "I'm hungry," he mumbled as he crossed the room to the kitchen table. He looked over the snacks and picked his chip of choice. "You want anything?"

Eren had fallen to the side when Levi got up. He lifted his head to see Levi over the armrest. "Oreos," he called, releasing smoke from his mouth.

It took him a second, but Levi eventually found the cookies and brought the package and his bowl back to the futon. "Up." He nudged Eren's elbow with his knee. Eren sat up, taking the Oreos from Levi, exchanging the joint for them. Once had room, he sat down. He situated the bowl of chips so it rested on his lap, against the armrest. He motioned at Eren to have him scoot closer.

Though he'd deny it with all his might, Levi always got a bit touchy-feely when he was slightly less than sober. He wasn't necessarily sure about why, but human contact seemed to make the paranoia and anxiousness disappear.

Before he knew it, Eren was curled up beside him with Levi's free arm wrapped around his middle. Maybe Eren felt the same way, he thought.

Eren tore into the cookie's packaging and stuffed an entire Oreo into his mouth. "You even got the double stuffed," he said, mouth full.

Levi laughed, pushing away the need to wrinkle his nose in disgust as Eren displayed cookie mush as he talked. "Of course, I did. Original Oreos have nothing on the double stuffed. The cream is the best part anyway, so the more cream, the better." His head snapped to the right when Eren let out a short, sharp laugh, successfully causing him to choke on the third cookie he devoured. "Good, choke. That's what you get for having your mind in the gutter, perverted brat."

The more Eren coughed, the more he laughed and vice versa. Levi sighed, laying the joint in the ashtray and grabbed the can of soda he brought with him and handed it to Eren. Eren gratefully took a long sip, trying his hardest not to start laughing, lest soda shoot out of his nose. Levi got a nice, good laugh out of Eren's struggling. The teen's face was a bright red from all the coughing and he panted when he finally got the cookie down. "Better?"

Eren nodded and returned the pop can to Levi. "Much, thank you." A few small coughs and giggles still escaped, but he was no longer fighting to breath. He followed Levi's lead and turned his attention back to the movie. He had absolutely no idea what was going on or how long the movie had even been playing. They were in some kind of club now? What? He didn't get it.

Levi, however, was completely engaged in the movie, despite missing most of what happened, so far. He didn't seem to notice, or, if he did, didn't mind Eren's intense staring and observing. Eren was always attracted to Levi in some way. If he were to say he wasn't physically attracted to him at first, he'd be lying. There was no denying it, but Levi was good looking, especially his face. His face was narrow, jaw line sharp with a pointed chin. Levi's cheek bones were also sharp, skin pulled tight over them. His eyebrows weren't thick but weren't trimmed either. His eyes drooped, whether that was natural or because of the drugs, Eren wasn't sure, but he didn't care. The color wasn't necessarily dull, but the blue-grey orbs held a story—a story Eren desperately wanted to know.

Eren continued taking in the features even when Levi turned to look at him. His nose was thin, but fit well. And his lips—oh, his lips. His mouth was so red—so delectably red—so delicious.

Levi tensed, slightly, when Eren pressed his lips against his own—a tender kiss. "What are you doing?" He asked softly. Eren remained close enough to feel his soft breath on his mouth.

Pleased that he was right, Eren answered simply, "Kissing you."

Levi sighed when Eren kissed him again. He relaxed, molding his lips against Eren's. Levi reached his arm to the side and jabbed the joint into the ashtray, putting out the flame as a new one slowly sparked to life. "I can see that," he said when Eren pulled away. "Any particular reason why?"

Eren pushed himself even closer to Levi. "You taste good."

That was arguable, Levi thought, sure that he tasted like cannabis and Cheetos. Despite that, he kissed Eren back. When he poked his tongue out to get a taste of his own, Eren pulled away, not expecting the intensity. Levi shifted to hover over Eren. He'd forgotten about the bowl of chips and cursed when he knocked them over onto the floor. "Fuck," he said at the mess, but left it at that. He swung his leg over Erens', straddling his lap. "If you're going to kiss me, don't kiss me like you would kiss your grandmother." He held Eren's face in his hands and kissed him deeply. He slipped his tongue into Eren's mouth, urging Eren to join.

Levi didn't do it all that often. He found kissing messy and, frankly, unsanitary. Then, however, whether it was the fact that he wasn't in the right state of mind, or if he just didn't care, he kissed Eren with all he had.

He reviled when Eren's tongue joined in and groaned at the teen's lack of experience. The kiss was messier than ones he'd previously experienced, with spit leaking past Eren's lips. Levi broke away and trailed his mouth down Eren's chin to his neck, leaving feather light kisses. He licked a path up to a spot below Eren's ear and clamped his teeth down into the skin, sucking around the bite. He froze when Eren gasped. "Ah, Levi," he said breathlessly, bucking his hips up.

Levi tore away, plucking Eren's hands that had found their way to his sides, off of him and plopped down beside him. Eren's strikingly green eyes widened. "Why'd you stop?" He huffed, confused.

Breathing heavily, as well, Levi answered, "Don't want to get too carried away."

Eren whined. Seriously, man? Whined? Yes, he whined and crawled on top of the other, pressing his lips against Levi's. "Don't stop," he whispered.

Levi had to fight to keep his hands from grabbing Eren's hips. He turned his head to the side, ripping Eren's mouth off of him. "You're the one who didn't want this to happen, Jaeger."

"I told you to call me Eren," he said between kisses on Levi's throat, completely ignoring Levi's (truthful) statement.

"'Kay, you're the one who said you didn't want me to take advantage of you, _Eren_." Somehow, in his foggy mind, Levi knew that wasn't a good idea.

"You won't be taking advantage of me," Eren insisted, adding bites into the mix, making Levi shiver. Eren was persistent, despite having to fight to keep his eyes open.

Levi gently lifted Eren to the side and onto the futon. "Yes, I will be. You don't know what you're saying and asking for, Eren." He didn't know how he was able to think logically in his current mental state, but he wasn't complaining. "Besides, you're about to fall asleep, anyway."

Eren tried to touch Levi again, only to have his hands slapped away. "Going to sleep would be the best," he said, even though he wasn't tired at all and practically starving. He turned the TV off, disappointed that they didn't finish his favorite movie, before stood up from the futon, making sure not to step on the spilled chips. Levi reached his hand out, offering to help Eren up. Eren stumbled slightly when he got to his feet, sleepiness suddenly slapping him across the face.

"Come on," Levi urged, guiding Eren to his room.

"I want to sleep with you," Eren mumbled.

Levi hesitated in front of Eren's designated room. "Don't think that's a good idea," he said, regrettably.

The look that Eren gave him was one enough to curse him into kicking a million babies. The wide, pleading eyes, glossed over with inebriation tempted him to no degree. "Please." That one word—that one damned word slipping from bruised lips made his mind up for him.

Levi huffed. "Fine." He dragged Eren to his own room, Eren looking far too smug for Levi's liking. "When did you turn into such a demanding brat?" Eren sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for Levi to draw the blankets back. "Alright, come on."

Eren climbed under the sheets, shoving his face into one of the pillows as Levi flipped the light switch down, the room going dark around them. He crossed the room, climbing into bed beside Eren. Immediately, Eren pushed his body against his, nose pressed into his neck. "You smell good," Eren murmured.

Levi's own senses were assaulted with the scent of Eren's hair. "You smell...clean."

Eren didn't hear the odd compliment, or Levi assumed he didn't. Eren instantly fell asleep, leaving Levi wide awake. He knew sleep would hit him eventually, but until then, he listened to Eren's steady breathing. He shifted to a more comfortable position, causing Eren to tighten his hold around him.

Levi lied there, amused that it seemed he wasn't the only one who got touchy-feely and undeniably horny while under the influence.

* * *

_A/N: You guys were so cute thinking that Levi was going to hurt Eren omg. I wouldn't steal your fluff away! Not yet, anyway..._

_But seriously, you guys. Your support is so fantastic and I love it so much! I'm sorry this chapter is much later than I intended it to be, but I got distracted by other things, but I hope this chapter makes up for its lateness. If you wish to keep up on my updates and listen to me rant about writing and whatnot, you can follow my tumblr! I'm working on a new blog dedicated for my fanfictions, now. _

_Thanks so much for reading, you guys! I hope you're all enjoying the story so far! Reviews are always appreciated :D_

_-Emily _


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Whoa long time no see, eh? I'm so so so sorry for how long this took to get out. I was doing so good on updated about once a week, but that quickly stopped. I posted __Kill Me Slowly__, which is a side story to __The Cabin__, and it's a little snippet of Levi's past. The idea hit me and wouldn't leave me alone. As I was writing it, a new scenario came to me and I couldn't drop it. It was so horrible. I wasn't able to even write it, it was so bad. It's been plaguing me for the past few weeks and giving me nightmares and flashbacks, so I decided to take a small break. _

_ANYWAY. I'm back now, and I hope this chapter makes up for my absence. There's not really a whole lot of plot, but there's character development and cute fluff. I know I could use some cute fluff after finishing __Kill Me Slowly__ and the latest episode. _

_Enjoy!_

**Warnings: **Language

* * *

Levi's eyes scrunched and nose wrinkled as his body began to wake up. He stretched his legs and groaned when his back popped. He rolled over onto his back and relaxed back into the mattress, letting out a yawn.

Eren lay on his side, his front facing Levi. His breathing was steady as he slept on. Levi rolled his head to the side and took a moment to simply observe Eren. He hadn't had the opportunity to actually get a good look at Eren since his face was always wound up in an angry matter—like he was constantly trying to hold an intimidating demeanor. While it probably worked for others, Rivaille saw right through it, especially then.

His face was no longer scrunched up in a scowl, but it wasn't something Levi would necessarily call a "good look." Levi almost laughed at the teen's expression—the exact opposite of what one would define as "beauty sleep". Eren's bangs were strewn across his forehead and tangled with his eyelashes. His face was mashed into the pillow, squishing his cheek to push into his nose. A thin trail of saliva dribbled from his open mouth, staining the fabric of the pillow case.

Levi grimaced at that, though he really had no right considering his tongue was practically down Eren's throat the night before. Vice versa. Still, the thought of laying in drool was unappealing enough to feel the urge to change the pillow cases.

Despite the kid's current expression, Levi still found Eren entrancing. His tawny hair, his enticing teal eyes, the shape of his lips and even his blemished, adolescent skin were all things alluring to Levi. And not to mention Eren's body, or what little of it he felt that night. Eren wasn't lanky, by any means, but he wasn't overly muscular either. That pleased Levi. He was never too fond of bulging muscles.

A shiver suddenly racked his body and he pressed himself deeper into the mattress, trying to will away the cold. Sighing, Levi faced the fact that he might have to accept defeat and turn on the heater during the night. The chilly air biting his skin was ridiculous.

He stretched his arms over his head one last time before throwing his legs over the side of the bed, making sure the blankets still covered Eren.

After his routine bathroom routine, Levi made his way to the kitchen, making a beeline for the coffee maker. As the beverage brewed, he looked around the place and sighed, realizing the mess that had been made.

Before he could even think about cleaning, he grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge, tore the cap of and chugged the cool liquid. Levi cursed himself for not drinking any water the night before. He predicted that Eren would have an awful case of cottonmouth when he eventually woke up.

Levi poured the contents remaining in the bowls back into their proper packaging. He brought the bags and cookies to the corner of the counter next to the fridge. In the living room, Levi swept what he could of the crumbs that he spilled on the carpet with the broom. He didn't want to use the vacuum, in case he woke Eren up, but he quickly reconsidered after remembering just how hard he slept.

As he folded some blankets, Levi's attention caught onto a leather bound book laying innocently on the side table next to the futon. He picked the book up and removed the pen from the binding. His lips curled down at the last entry, but he merely shook his head and flipped to a new page.

His eyes scanned the cabin, pleased now that it was spotless. He picked up one of the blankets he'd folded as he passed the futon on his way back to the kitchen. He placed it on the kitchen table, next to a newspaper.

The clock read seven-thirty as Levi poured himself a cup of coffee. He set the cup beside the newspaper and unfolded the blanket before wrapping it around his shoulders and taking a seat in one of the chairs. He chose the spot where he could check up on Eren by simply turning his head and peeking through the doorway.

Levi sipped at his coffee and leisurely read that week's newspaper. His knees were pulled up to his chest and his feet perched onto the wooden seat of the chair. He'd learned to pace himself as he read, knowing he wouldn't get a new paper until his next trip to town. He always limited himself to three or four articles a day, saving the comics for last.

A half hour passed and Levi folded the paper back up, putting it onto the counter. He doubted Eren would sleep much longer, but unpacked a deck of cards anyway. Taking his place back in the chair, Levi dealt out a game of solitaire.

After an hour and multiple lost games, Levi turned his head when he heard footsteps. Eren sleepily stumbled out of the bed, scratching the back of his head and dragged his feet to the bathroom. A few moments later, Eren appeared in the kitchen, yawning. "Why is it so fucking cold?" He groggily mumbled in greeting.

"Good morning to you, too," Levi responded, standing from the chair as Eren sat beside him. "Coffee?" Eren only nodded, his mouth too dry to say anything else. Levi poured the cup and set it down in front of Eren on the table. He remained behind him, waiting for Eren to take a sip. Once Eren set the cup down, Levi leaned forward, tapping his shoulder. Eren turned his head and Levi's lips bumped into his own.

His eyes widened at the surprising tender kiss. He pulled away after a moment, eyes wide in shock, as if to say, 'what was that for?'

Levi smirked, finding his assumption to be true. "You don't remember last night, do you?"

Of course Eren remembered, but what did that have to do with the kiss? Levi got mad at him when he said something stupid. They smoked and watched that stupid movie. Then they ate snacks and cuddled. And then they...oh.

_Oh._

Had that actually happened? Eren assumed it was just another one of his typical teenage hormone induced dreams. He had those more frequently than he cared to admit, especially to Levi. Especially to Levi because he was usually the main character in said dreams. Not that Eren was a pervert or anything...those kinds of dreams were perfectly normal for a teenager. Even ones involving older men were normal. Even ones involving older men, stripping them down and fucking them senseless—no?

Alright, he was a little bit of a pervert.

A blush covered his cheeks, not because of his current thoughts, but because of his actions the night before. "I'm sorry," was all he could muster.

An eyebrow raised, "What for?"

"For yesterday."

Levi chuckled. "You're still going on about that? I already told you to forget about it. I get it. Awkward morning wood is normal—however, humping someone in your sleep is no—"

"No, not _that_," Eren hissed. He'd pushed that memory aside and flushed when it slapped him in the face. He sexually invaded Levi's space twice in one day. Wow that's most definitely a new record. Not that he'd done anything like that before, but that wasn't the point. Way to go Eren. "I meant for last night."

Levi had already retaken his seat at the table. "For what? Being a shitty brat and accusing me of wanting to rape you?"

Eren sighed. "Not that either...well, I'm sorry for that too, but—"

"Because there's no need to be. I gave you no reason _not _to question me."

Shrugging, Eren mumbled a 'Still sorry...'. He watched as Levi picked up his coffee mug by the top instead of the handle and take a sip. "I'm sorry for coming on to you, last night." Is that what he did? He wasn't entirely sure what to call it.

"You were higher than a kite," Levi laughed, glancing at his failed game of cards.

"So were you!" Eren exclaimed.

Levi smirked, shaking his head. He was just playing with Eren. It turned out riling the teenager up was far too easy and one of the best forms of entertainment Levi had experienced up north. "That's true, but I was still coherent. _You _were also the one who started making out with _me_."

"But _you _did nothing to stop me," Eren countered.

Levi's smirk grew. "That's also true."

Eren waited for him to say something else, but Levi remained silent, only retaliating the stare with an amused expression. He merely shook his head and took another sip of his beverage. "Why do you hold your cup like that?" Eren questioned him.

Levi shrugged. "Force of habit, I suppose."

After attempting to take a drink from his own cup, Eren realized it was empty. How he managed to drink an entire cup of coffee in less than five minutes was beyond him. Nonetheless, he stood from the table to refill his mug. "You're going to spill if you hold it like that."

"I've been holding things like this for as long as I can remember and I've never spilled. No need to worry, Mom."

Eren lowered his head, slightly at that. He didn't know how to respond. The silence was awkward. The situation was awkward. Hell, the whole damn trip, so far had been awkward. "What I'm saying, Jaeger, is that I didn't stop you because I didn't mind, and you don't have to be stoned out of your mind to kiss me."

Ha, right. Eren just recently realized that the only way to get over his awkward teenage self was either being half asleep or self medication. He knew he couldn't sleep all day, or smoke weed all day. That just wasn't possible.

Wait. What if he smoked a shit ton of weed and _then _slept all day? Brilliant. You're a fucking genius, Eren.

When Eren finally stumbled out of his thoughts, Levi had his attention back on the deck of cards. He observed as Levi flipped through the deck, three cards at a time. "Solitaire?" He asked.

"Mm," Levi hummed, concentrating on the cards.

Eren leaned in closer to get a better look at what cards were being dealt. "You passed the three of hearts," he said. "You could have put it up."

Levi paused, mulling over the words. He shrugged when he realized Eren was right, but didn't do anything to fix his error. He already passed the wanted card, but he wasn't the kind to undo his actions. He simply hoped the three would come back in the next drawing round.

It didn't, and so he admitted defeat, shuffling the cards back together and setting the deck aside. "You're bad at solitaire," Eren stated.

Levi gave him a look that wasn't necessarily a glare, but wasn't very nice either. "I don't play it to be good or to win."

"Then why do you play?"

Levi stood from his chair and moved to the sink. He took one last drink of his coffee, grimacing because it was cold and poured the rest into the drain. "I play because I get bored and you sleep forever."

"It's only nine-thirty."

Snorting, Levi responded, "You went to bed before ten and slept until nine. Like I said, you sleep forever."

"Sorry I don't wake up at the ass crack of dawn every day..." Eren mumbled.

Levi laughed at that. "You apologize a lot," he said as he rinsed out his mug. He quickly turned around, pointing a finger at Eren. "Don't you dare apologize for apologizing!"

Eren's mouth was open, formed to spew out another apology, but he swiftly closed his lips. Levi chuckled, aware that he knew Eren very well after such a short time. He asked if Eren was done with the coffee and took it when Eren nodded.

Sleep still present in his eyes, Eren watched as Levi shuffled throughout the kitchen. He dumped the coffee out and washed it with a rag. He whistled an irritating tune as he put the then cleaned mugs back into one of the cupboards.

Eren was completely baffled that anyone could be that chipper and willing to do things like chores and cleaning so early. "How can you be even remotely happy in the morning?"

"What's not to be happy about?" Levi asked.

"It's so damn _early _and you could still be sleeping."

The corner of his lips quirked. "I don't like sleeping my life away, anymore."

"Anymore?" Eren asked softly.

Levi retook his chair. "Mornings are good. They're new and I hate wasting them. Why sleep the day away when I can go for a run, read the paper or...vacuum?"

Eren snorted. "You vacuumed, already? And I slept through it?"

"Not only do you sleep forever, you also sleep through everything."

"That's not true," he huffed, though he knew how true that statement was. In a house full of screaming children and fighting parents, he'd learned how to tune everything out and be dead to the world for just a few hours. "Okay, it's a little true."

Levi hummed in agreement. "Is there anything in particular that you want to do today?" He asked, quickly adding, "Preferably something that isn't sleeping, that is."

Eren groaned, "You make it sound like I sleep for days," he complained. He really was secretly a toddler. "But I don't care what we do."

"Do you mind if we don't go into town? I prefer only going a few times a week," Levi said as he pulled open the refrigerator and began pulling things out.

Eren shrugged, indifferently. "Not really. I don't have much of a choice, do I? You're the one who can drive," he laughed.

"Of course you have a choice," Levi informed with his head buried in the fridge. "It's your vacation as much as it is mine. Do you like pancakes?"

"I don't mind," Eren said. "And I love pancakes." He hadn't realized it until then, but his stomach was twisting, demanding food. He leaned over slightly and wrapped his arms around his waist to prevent the noise, greatly resembling that of a suffocating seal, from being heard. The snort coming from Levi proved that the sound didn't go unnoticed. "Shut up. Pancakes sound good."

"Pancakes it is, then." It seemed Levi had much more than pancakes planned, Eren thought as Levi pulled out various pans from the lower cupboards, a carton of eggs and a package of bacon from the fridge.

Figuring he could be at least some assistance, Eren stood from the table. "Can I help with anything?" He asked, leaning against the counter.

As he measured out flour, Levi responded, "You cook?"

"Well, no not reall—"

"Sit your ass down, then. You're not fucking with my pancakes."

That wasn't quite what Eren meant. At his home, Eren was expected to tend to his own needs, including cooking. Whether or not Levi's definition of 'cooking' was the same as Eren's was the question. Eren was perfectly capable of throwing a pizza in the oven or making macaroni and cheese. He once even made a mean batch of spaghetti. "I'm not horrible at cooking," he said. "I just don't do it a whole lot. I can make pancakes."

Levi was already mixing all of the ingredients together in a glass bowl. He turned to face Eren, batter covered whisk pointing at him, threateningly. "You can be not horrible at cooking later, but I'm telling you now that you're not going to fuck with my pancakes. Sit down and be patient."

Eren did as he was told and fell back into a chair. He never expected that someone could be so passionate about pancakes, especially Levi. Levi was fairly stoic during school, but he seemed more expressive around Eren. He simply assumed that Levi wasn't a fan of crowds.

He was beyond happy that he didn't fuck around with Levi's pancakes, because, dear Lord, they were delicious. Sweet Jesus, Eren never obtained the honor to taste such delicacies before. The pancakes were fluffy and light, yet not overly thin. Levi topped them with maple syrup and...

Oh my God. Was that whipped cream? Sweet Lordy Jesus. Fuck yes.

Hallelujah.

As the feast was laid out on the table in front of him, Eren had to sit on his hands to keep himself in check. On the table was a stack of pancakes, drizzled with syrup and topped with whipped cream. Beside the stack was a plate with strawberries and, directly in front of Eren was a pan of eggs and a plate with bacon. Levi handed him a plate with a napkin and silverware. "Dig in," he said.

And dug in, he did, and holy shit they were delicious. Eren practically inhaled an entire pancake while Levi merely watched, leisurely taking bites of off his plate. "How is it?" He spoke up after Eren swallowed the mouthful and took a gulp of orange juice.

Eren dabbed at the corner of his mouth with a napkin, nodding. "Yeah, it's delicious." He hadn't tasted anything that good in a long time.

Levi chuckled. "Well, it's not going to go anywhere. You don't have to inhale it and choke."

He looked away, embarrassed by his eagerness, but still continued to eat. "It's seriously really good. Where did you learn to cook like this?" He once attempted to make pancakes a long time ago. After smoke, charcoal pies and a small fire later, Eren decided that all culinary activities involving the stove and oven were strictly prohibit for the sake of himself and the others.

Levi took a drink from his water. "I picked up a few tricks along the way. I had to learn to cook for myself and thought it was calming. Plus, there wasn't much to do here and things get boring after two years."

"You lived here for two years?" Eren asked. "What the hell is there to do around here for two years? Didn't you get bored?" He said after Levi nodded.

Levi held up a finger as he swallowed. "I never got bored."

"What did you do?"

Smirking, Levi returned, "That's not important. I've never been able to cook for anyone before, so I went a little crazy on this. Sorry."

Eren's eyes widened. "Don't be sorry!" He exclaimed. "It's seriously amazing. I just don't know if I can eat it all," he laughed.

Levi grinned, taking another bite of the pancakes. "Eat what you can. Just don't make yourself sick. We have too much of nothing to be doing to take care of you."

Eren stuffed a mouthful of the syrup lathered pancake, pretending not to notice as Levi stuck a finger in his mouth to lap up syrup. God, Eren had the weirdest capability of turning absolutely anything into a damned porn scene. _You should get help for that. _

After a few moments, Eren finished off a piece of bacon and pushed his plate forward. "I'm stuffed," he mumbled, and indeed he was. He made a mental note to not eat four giant pancakes, five scoops of scrambled eggs and three pieces of bacon anytime in the near future. "I hope your definition of doing nothing means sitting on the couch all day and doing nothing."

"What else would it mean?" Levi scoffed as he began to pick up the plates from the table.

Eren stood from the table as well, following Levi's lead and brought his own dirty dishes to the sink. "I don't know. You seem like the kind of person that thinks a three mile run is nothing."

Turning on the faucet and filling the sink with warm water, Levi replied, "A three mile run _is _nothing, Jaeger."

"Maybe for someone in shape..."

Levi dumped what little scraps of food remained into the garbage and placed all of the dishes and silverware into the sink. "A run is a run and doing nothing is doing nothing. Unless you want to do anything, I'm perfectly content with sitting on the couch all day."

"No, that's fine," Eren answered.

"Good. I thought maybe I could start a fire tonight, if you want?" He poured dish soap into the sink and began scrubbing the dishes. He paused for a moment to open the cabinet to pull out a rag and threw it at Eren, ordering him to dry the clean dishes.

Eren did as he was told, and wiped all the droplets off of the plate. "A fire sounds good," he said as he dried one of the glasses. Levi was apparently an expert at doing dishes and Eren found it hard to keep up with him. Eventually, Levi grabbed another rag and assisted Eren with drying the dishes. In less than three minutes, the dishes were cleaned and put away, leaving them with the rest of the day to do all of absolutely nothing they planned on doing.

* * *

A collage of purples, oranges and yellows blanketed across the sky as the sun set. Eren gazed, mesmerized by the magnificent reflexion mirrored from the water. The lake's surface appeared to be made of glass, without a single wisp of wind to cause the water to ripple.

The air was cool, though there was no breeze. Eren stuffed his hands in his sweatshirt's pockets and waited, observing as Levi set up a few logs to start the fire.

The day had been pleasant, filled with a marathon of watching movies and seasons of TV shows. They'd chosen movies of all kinds of genres—comedy, horror, action, and Levi managed to convince Eren to watch a cheesy rom-com.

The day had been spent on the futon, every once in a while changing arrangements. They'd started on opposite ends of the couch, gradually moving closer, until Levi was practically on top of Eren, clinging to his arm during a horror film. It wasn't one of those jump scare movies, it was the kind that fucked with your head—the kind that Levi hated the most. Plus, there had been a bit of gore in that one, as well—another point that Levi wasn't too fond of.

Eren had found it amusing that Levi was so easily disturbed by a little bit of blood, but he surrendered his arm to him anyway. He wondered if that had been a good idea, because, by the time that Levi let go, his arm felt like jello.

At some point, Eren had found himself lying down with his head resting upon Levi's thigh. He would be lying if he were to say that it wasn't awkward at first, being so physically close to Levi, but as Levi's fingers threaded through his hair during the movie, Eren grew to be comfortable, even though the movie was incredibly lame.

Levi sat beside him on the bench that they had carried up from the porch to the fire pit, overlooking the lake. "I think I got it," he said, motioning to the flames starting to catch onto the logs.

"Yeah, it looks good," Eren said, watching as the flames grew, shining in the darkness. "I haven't been to a bonfire in forever," he muttered.

"Oh?" Levi questioned. "When was the last time?"

Eren sighed, scraping his memory for an answer. "I'd have to say around eight years ago. It's been awhile."

Levi whistled, looking out over the ledge. "That is a while." He watched as Eren's eyes scanned the scenery once more. "Do you like it up here, Jaeger?"

Eren turned his head to face Levi, nodding with a small smile. "Yeah, it's great!"

"You're not bored, or anything?"

"Not at all," Eren stated. "It's been fun so far."

Smiling, Levi said, "Good. I'm glad."

They sat in silence, the crackling of the fire being the only sound.

There was something about bonfires, something strange. Levi had his fair share of bonfires, but none of them made him feel so weird. He couldn't remember the last time he sat beside a fire in the company of someone else. He knew the last time must have been with his parents at that exact spot, but he pushed that thought out of his head.

It was a peculiar thing. He suddenly felt open, like he could talk about anything as if it was nothing. It was something he hadn't felt before in a long time. He peeked back over at Eren, who remained fixated on the water.

A cool gust of wind hit, sending smoke to their faces. Levi covered his mouth with his sleeve. Eren jerked at the cold air, a shiver racking his body. The night was chilly, giving Levi every excuse to scoot himself closer to Eren to retain body heat. He rested his head on Eren's shoulder, pleased that Eren barely tensed.

"Oi, Jaeger?"

"Hm?"

Levi moved even closer. "What's something you've always wanted to do before?"

Eren visibly tensed at that. It was certainly a question he'd never been asked before and he wasn't entirely sure on how to respond. Eren was rarely given the chance to make decisions for himself. He'd been expected to just follow the orders of his superiors.

_You can't live here._

_You fight too much. _

_Get over it. She's not your real sister. _

_We have no more room for you._

He had simply accepted the fact that he was expect to be tossed door to door and shoved out onto his ass when he graduated.

"I want to see the ocean," he answered after a moment. It was the first thing he could think of, and he was shocked that it was his truest answer. "I've been stuck in this state for too damn long and I've always wanted to see it. My friend and I made plans a long time ago to take a trip to the coast, but it never happened."

"Why not?" Levi murmured.

Eren sighed. "I moved away and lost contact with him. Last I heard, he skipped a couple of grades and graduated a few years ago." It was true. His best friend, Armin, was a genius. He'd been made fun of for his fascination with books and knowledge, but all of it entranced Eren. They'd made promises to travel—to see the world together.

Levi tilted his head up to look at Eren's face. "What's stopping you from going now, then?"

Shrugging, Eren said, "School at first, but now, money, I suppose."

Levi hummed. "What about you?" Eren asked.

"Me? Shit, I don't know. I've never thought about it."

"That's not fair. I've never thought about it, either, but I still gave an answer."

Levi poked Eren in the side, eliciting a small yelp. "You must have thought about it at one point to give an answer, though."

"You seriously can't think of anything?"

It was Levi's turn to shrug. "I can think of many things, but situations change. For instance, I never thought that I'd want to take a whiny brat up to my sanctuary, but look at us now. I already got what I wanted, and I think it would be greedy to ask for anything else, right now."

"That...kind of makes sense," Eren said.

"I know. That's why I said it."

"I'm not an annoying brat, though."

Levi cackled. "Yes you are. That's why I said it."

"No I'm not!" Griped Eren. Levi raised an eyebrow, questioning. "Oh, shut up."

Levi let out another laugh. "You're a total brat," he said between breaths.

With that, they sat in silence, watching as the fire dimmed to practically nothing. The logs no longer burned, nor gave off any heat. The ashes in the pit glowed orange. Levi's neck was beginning to get stiff, so he lifted it off of Eren's shoulder.

"Hey Eren?"

"Yeah?" Eren responded, surprised to be called something other than his last name.

Levi licked at his bottom lip. "Would you be opposed if I were to kiss you, right now?"

Eren turned his head, biting the inside of his cheek as he thought if he would be opposed. "No," he ultimately decided.

Levi reached his hand up to Eren's chin, tilting his head down for easier access. He met his gaze with Eren's as he leaned up closer. Just as they were inches apart, Eren's eyelids slipped closed, hiding the beautiful teal orbs. He couldn't deny the spark he felt when Levi's lips pressed against his.

The kiss was tender, merely lips to lips. Levi pulled away after one more kiss, flicking tongue against Eren's upper lip. "I'm tired," he muttered. "The fire is out, anyway. Want to go to bed?"

Eren wasn't too sure on what that meant, but he nodded anyway. It was late, definitely past midnight. He didn't know where the time had gone, but it passed quickly. He was cold and he was tired. No matter what Levi had meant by that statement, Eren was ready to go inside.

He followed Levi down the path, lit by the solar lights trailing it. Back inside the cabin, Levi shut the heavy wood door behind them and locked it. "Feel free to say no, but considering it somehow happens every time anyway, do you just want to sleep in my room?" Levi asked. "It saves time on making beds and washing sheets. Plus, you won't scare the shit out of me, crawling into my bed while I'm half asleep."

Eren hesitated. He had no qualms about climbing into Levi's bed while half asleep or under the influence, but now, he was completely aware of his whereabouts. "It's okay to say no, Eren," Levi assured.

Eren shook his head. "No, it's fine. I'll probably end up there anyway. Might as well save the time and effort."

Levi threw a sleepy grin and went to his bedroom to change into warm pajamas. Eren followed suit. By the time Eren was in the room, Levi already had the bed ready.

The lights were out and they laid next to each other. The bed was fairly small, Eren thought. It must have been a full size, but it definitely seemed larger before. Eren was on his side, back facing Levi, attempting not to accidentally brush his feet against Levi's.

It was summer time. Eren didn't understand how it could be so damn cold during the summer. He was shivering. Levi noticed immediately and shifted closer to Eren. Eren gratefully pushed back against Levi's chest, satisfied with the warmth his body gave him.

Levi had an arm slung over Eren's waist and his face buried into the crook of Eren's neck. Eren shivered when Levi's lips ghostly brushed his skin. It was definitely an accident, he thought—Simply Levi trying to get comfortable. That was what Eren told himself until it happened again, a little firmer.

Levi smirked against Eren's skin when his breath hitched. He kissed up the column of Eren's neck, content that there no protests. He was even a little shocked when Eren tilted his head to give him more room to appreciate. "Do you like this?" He whispered into his ear, before nibbling the lobe.

"Yeah..." Eren answered, breathlessly.

Going back to lay kisses along Eren's neck, Levi delighted in the small sighs and gasps Eren let loose. He bit softly below his ear, his tongue lapping the spot to sooth the bite. He licked a trail from Eren's collarbone up to the small, red wound below his ear.

Eren's breathing became heavy fast, almost too fast. He knew he was enjoying the attention to his neck much more than he should have, but he simply couldn't help it. It was too good. His eyelids drooped and he let out a sigh when Levi licked up his neck.

Levi brushed aside some of the tawny hair and dug his teeth in near the nape of Eren's neck. The low moan that flew from Eren's parted lips caused Levi's stomach to stir. He repeated the action, receiving a delicious whine.

"Oh, that's a good spot," Levi murmured, lowly. He leaned away from Eren, grabbing his shoulder and urging him to roll onto his other side.

Eren's expression was a spectacular sight to Levi. His mouth was open, letting out small pants of breath. His cheeks were rosy and his pupils dilated. He looked delectable, Levi thought. Levi couldn't imagine how he, himself appeared at that moment, but he knew it must have been similar to Eren. The barely there sounds spilling from his lips and the look on his face were enough to make Levi come undone.

* * *

_A/N: Thank you so much to all of you who have stuck around and supported me. I appreciate it so much and it makes me incredibly happy when I hear all of your guys' thoughts :D_


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Holy shit long time no see, eh? *gets down on knees and bows to all of you* I'm so so so so sorry for how long this took and what a horrible cliffhanger I left you on. I'd expected to get this chapter out right away, but then school and work happened. If makes any of you feel better, I'm working on a new fic that's seriously all smut. That's all it is. There may be an eventual story line. Maybe. In the future possibly. It's called "Charnelle" and it's got a sexy French Levi. _

_Can I apologize in advance for this chapter?_

* * *

He didn't know what exactly it was that affected him in such a way. He had no idea what it was that made his stomach twist. He was clueless as to why he had such a strange sensation in his chest. He didn't know what exactly it was that made him feel that way. Perhaps it was the pink tinting Eren's cheeks. He'd always had a thing for making the kid blush, after all. Or maybe it was how Eren's lips parted, only slightly as he let out small pants of breath. He was absolutely certain that the smoldering stare emitting from Eren's exotic eyes had something to do with it.

When Eren leaned in closer to him, Levi's eyes lowered as he closed the distance between them. The kiss tasted sweet, knowing it was all Eren. He wasn't under the influence, he wasn't half asleep and he most definitely wasn't emotionally distressed. No, instead, Levi reveled in the fact that the lips moving against his own were doing so on their own accord.

Eren allowed himself to be pulled closer to Levi. He didn't know what exactly it was that caused his actions, but he certainly wasn't regretting them. A spark shot down his spine every time the tip of Levi's tongue brushed against his lips. He gasped when Levi pried his mouth open and coaxed his tongue out to join him.

That wasn't the first kiss Eren had. He'd kissed multiple girls in school before, but he'd never kissed anyone like _that _before. What happened between Levi and Eren then was much more passionate—much more intimate.

The thought was thoroughly confirmed when Levi urged him onto his back and straddled his hips. Yes, that was, by far, the best kiss Eren had the pleasure of being involved in. He didn't know what to think, so he didn't. Levi was more than happy to lead him through the motions. His mouth was clumsy, but Levi didn't seem to particularly mind.

Levi was enjoying himself just as much as Eren was. He lowered himself onto Eren's chest, tilting up his head to keep their mouths intact. He shivered at the small moan Eren let out when he pulled his lower lip between his teeth and nibbled lightly. Eren tore his mouth away and sucked in a deep breath. Levi took the opportunity to nudge Eren's head to the side so he could continue marking up the supple skin he found there.

Starting with the little mark already there, Levi kissed the red spot. His lips trailed down, only stopping to bite gently every once in a while, pulling soft sounds out of Eren. His hands had been resting on Eren's sides, rubbing smooth circles. They gradually glided down Eren's torso, til his fingers toyed with them hem of his shirt.

Eren had his head to the side, neck stretched as to give Levi even more room. Not knowing what to do with his hands, he settle with placing his arms above his head with his hands gripping the bars of the headboard. His eyes, which had closed only moments ago, snapped back open when he felt Levi's warm fingers slip up his shirt and play with the thin trail of hair there.

He couldn't help the sighs and small gasps escaping from between his lips. Levi, keeping his hands where they were, began kissing a path up his neck, to his jaw and back to Eren's lips. Levi moaned when Eren's tongue met his without hesitation.

With Levi occupying his mouth, Eren barely noticed that his shirt was slowly being inched up, revealing more skin. He broke the kiss to pay attention to Eren's collarbones. He lifted Eren's shirt up as far as it could go without covering his face.

Blunt nails scratched down the sides of his body resulting in Eren to buck up.

Virgin he may have been, but an idiot he most certainly was not. It wouldn't take a genius to infer what Levi's intentions were as he kissed a path down Eren's chest, stopping just above the waistband of his sweatpants. His teeth sunk into the soft flesh. Eren's hips thrust up again as he let out a soft moan.

Levi's lips trailed back up his chest, pausing to nip at random spots of his tanned skin. By the time he reached Eren's lips again, Eren's face was beet red and his breathing was heavy. "Should I keep going?" He whispered into his ear.

"Don't stop," Eren said. That was definitely pleading, Eren. Don't even try to deny it.

Levi growled, his lips attaching to Eren's neck and slowly making his way to his chest. His tongue circled a nipple before his lips wrapped around it. Eren's hand shot from the headboard to cover up the embarrassingly loud groan tumbling from his mouth. Levi continued licking the nub, pulling at it lightly with his teeth.

Oh Eren could get used to that—Levi worshiping every inch of his body. His other hand joined to cup over his mouth, attempting to drown out the sounds that were becoming much more frequent. The mouth on his chest felt too good, but Levi's leg grinding against his hardened cock was even more—damn. _Damn_. That's all Eren could think.

Levi latched his mouth onto the other nipple and slowly moved his leg against Eren's crotch. He reached his arms up to wrap his hands around Eren's wrist and pulled them away from his mouth. A particularly hard rock of his leg made Eren moan loudly. Levi pulled at his arms, pinning them to the mattress when he attempted to cover his mouth once more.

Eren froze. Suddenly, it was not Levi above him, anymore. His eyes snapped open and he jerked an arm free from Levi's grip. He struggled against Levi's hold, but ultimately freed his other arm. No longer confined, Eren still thrashed on the mattress, tossing his head side to side as he flailed his legs.

Levi had leaned back immediately after Eren struggled against his hold. "What's wrong?" He asked, concern clearly in his eyes. He made a move to kiss him again, but his face was harshly pushed to the side.

"Stop," Eren whispered.

His legs still thrashed about, kicking Levi every one or two kicks. "Eren, what's wrong?" He grunted when Eren delivered a quick kick to his abdomen. He rubbed his hands, soothingly down Eren's sides, hoping to calm him.

Eren slapped the hands away, accompanied by a few more kicks. "Don't touch me!" He exclaimed.

Levi's hands immediately shot up off of him and into the air for Eren to see. He got off of him and Eren rolled over onto his side, his back facing Levi. He pulled the comforter up to his chin and hid his face into the soft fabric. Trying once more to comfort him, Levi gently placed his hand on Eren's shoulder. "Did I hurt you?" He asked softly.

Eren shrugged the hand off of his shoulder. "Please stop," he pleaded. Under the blankets, he curled his legs up after pulling his shirt back down to cover his skin. He dug his face deeper into the blanket, whining, "Just stop."

"It's okay, Eren. I'm stopping." Levi's face was full of concern and definitely confusion. He was certain that he'd done something to upset Eren. Well no shit. _Of course you did, dumbass. _However, he had no idea what he did to make Eren react that way.

Clearly, Eren was not in a particularly talkative mood at that moment. The barely noticeable quake of his body below the blankets was enough to prove that. Levi sat still, debating whether or not he should leave the room. "Do you want me to leave?"

His face fell when he only received a sniffle in response. Great. He made him cry. _Way to go. _Levi removed himself from the bed, being careful as to not pull the blankets of off Eren's trembling frame. As soon as he stood to his feet, Eren's hand shot out from behind him and grabbed his wrist. Eren lay on his back, his head thrown to the side, looking at Levi. "Don't go," he whispered.

He didn't know what exactly it was that affected him in such a way. He had no idea what it was that made his stomach twist. He was clueless as to why he had such a strange sensation in his chest. He didn't know what exactly it was that made him feel that way. Perhaps it was the pink tinting Eren's cheeks, though he was flushed for other reasons than before. Or maybe it was how Eren's lips quivered, only slightly as he let out small pants of breath. He was absolutely certain that the desperate stare emitting from Eren's tear filled eyes had something to do with it.

When Eren whimpered, "I'm sorry," Levi was by his side in an instant, pulling him close. Levi ran his fingers soothingly through Eren's hair as he buried his face in Levi's chest. He _was _sorry, but he mostly felt embarrassed for letting something so _stupid _affect him so powerfully. He'd ruined a great moment, once again. He was about to get his first blowjob and he let something as dumb as that get in the way.

Levi hushed him when he began apologizing again. He didn't know how to comfort Eren, but it seemed that the fingers playing with his hair was working, at least a little. Eren's breathing was beginning to calm. "What are you sorry for? You didn't do anything," he urged. "If anything, I'm sorry. What did I do?"

Eren shook his head against Levi's chest. "Nothing," he said after he finally gained his voice back. He cleared his throat and pulled away from Levi slightly. "You didn't do anything...it was just a stupid flashback."

That concerned Levi. "A flashback?" He questioned. "What triggered it?" He didn't ask what it was. It wasn't any of his business since he barely knew Eren at all. Despite Eren moving away slightly, Levi continued playing with his hair with one hand and tracing meaningless patterns on his back. Eren shifted his gaze to the side, avoiding Levi's eyes. "Hey now," Levi said. "You don't have to tell me _why_, but I'd like to know what I did so I don't do it again."

Still not meeting Levi's eyes, Eren mumbled, "Arms."

One of Eren's hands rested on Levi's waist and the other clutched at the fabric of Levi's shirt. "Alright," Levi murmured. "Anything in particular, or your arms in general?" He hoped he was handling the situation the right way. He never had to before. He never had the reason to. No one ever cared about his feelings about certain things, so he learned to dish out the same treatment.

Eren appeared generally worried. Why, Levi didn't know. "It's okay," he encouraged.

"Don't pin me down," Eren said softly.

"Is that all?"

"Yeah...I just don't like my arms being held down." His voice was muffled as he pressed his face into the crook of Levi's neck. Eren threaded his own fingers through Levi's hair, fascinated by the odd texture.

"Alright," Levi murmured. "I won't do it again, then."

His breathing was almost back to normal when he spoke again. "I'm still sorry," he grumbled, despite being thoroughly relaxed from the fingers playing with his hair.

Levi hummed. "Why? You have no reason to be."

Eren sighed. "For...you know...ruining the moment or some shit," he mumbled. It was true. He did feel bad for lashing out, interrupting Levi's actions and intentions, and ending what possibly (probably) would have turned into something fucking awesome.

Shifting so Eren could see his face, Levi stated, "Listen to me. You didn't 'ruin the moment or some shit', Jaeger. I'm still learning you. If I ever do anything that makes you uncomfortable, _tell me _and I won't do it again. Telling me isn't going to ruin the moment, alright? Besides," he placed a tender kiss on Eren's lips, satisfied that Eren didn't push him away again. "We have all summer, and surely I'll be able to make it up to you for making you upset."

A nearly invisible smirk crawled across his face when Eren's lips parted and pupils dilated. "Not now, of course," Levi added. "You're exhausted plus it's nearly two AM, and you know what they say. Nothing good happens after two AM."

No, Eren didn't know what anyone said, but it was a fact that Levi knew all too well, and was hell bent on following that philosophy. Though he didn't understand Levi's comment, Eren was well aware of just how tired he was and took no time in agreeing and closing his eyes.

"Hey Levi," Eren muttered.

"Hmm?"

He yawned, "Your hair is weird."

Under any other circumstance, Levi would've actually taken then time to find something to insult about Eren, but one, Eren was upset, and two, he didn't think he could think of anything. Instead, he merely responded with, "Go the fuck to sleep, Jaeger."

Levi was concerned for a moment—worried that Eren dealt with a severe case of narcolepsy because no one could fall asleep _that fast_ and stay asleep for _so long. _Whatever it was thathe thought, Eren was surely asleep, breaths puffing against his neck.

The arousal that flowed through his body had faded tremendously when Eren panicked, however, a small amount of energy still thrummed through his veins. He knew he wouldn't be sleeping for a while, but seeing that Eren was alright after the whole ordeal put him at ease, at least a little bit.

It surprisingly didn't take long for him to fall asleep. With the warmth Eren's body next to his gave him and the rhythmic breathing on his skin, his eyes slipped shut and he drifted into a hard slumber.

* * *

Darkness enveloped him, swaddling him like a blanket. The obscurity would usually have been a comfort, for it being so late at night, but something felt off. Something wasn't right. Though his eyes were open, he couldn't see a single thing. He attempted to turn his head to the side, but was unable to. Something cool was holding his head down. He assumed it was metal of some kind.

He was completely immobile—his ankles locked down with metal cuffs. Another restraint encircled around each of his knees, and another around his thighs. A strap wrapped around his middle and his arms were held down by, what he thought were, belts.

Knowing he should have been panicking, he was still—not that he had much of a choice. His mind wasn't racing, he wasn't screaming for help nor was he struggling to free himself from the restraints. It had to have been a dream, he thought.

What an odd dream.

He had no idea where he was or how (in his dream) he'd gotten there. Dressed in his usual sleeping attire—nude save for underwear—he was cold. The brisk air nipped at his skin, eliciting tiny bumps to erupt over most of his exposed flesh. To make the matters worse, he seemed to by lying on a metal table, the cold material against his back.

Strange. He, from his ten years of life, could never recall feeling different temperatures in previous dreams. He assumed there was a first for everything.

It was a dream that he wasn't too fond of, though. He'd never had a dream so weird and just...out of place. He would have liked to pinch himself to wake up, but no matter how hard he pulled his arms, the belts wouldn't budge.

His eyes widened when he heard a door slam open, hoping to adjust his sight to the darkness. Eyebrows furrowing at the sound of footsteps on concrete, he began struggling against his restraints. The clang of the restraints hitting the metal table echoed throughout the room.

The sudden flood of light made him snap his eyes shut. Once recovered, he slowly blinked them back open. "Dad?" He asked?

His father stood in one of the corners of the room, thoroughly washing his hands in the sink that was there.

"What's going on, Dad?"

His father didn't respond. Instead, he reached into a small box, pulling out a pair of rubber gloves before snapping them over his fingers and onto his hands. His father turned and he went to ask another question, but his father walked right past him, to a section of the room he couldn't see with his head restrained.

From behind him, he heard wheels rolling over the concrete and metal clashing against metal. The sounds continued for an unbearable five minutes, leaving him terrified. That was very unlike his father. His father had always been very tentative toward him, but then he wouldn't even acknowledged him in their own home.

The sound of wheels filled the room once more and his father rolled a tall, but thin metal table until it was next to him. He couldn't see what was placed on the tray as the table was too tall. His father stood next to him, adjusting the objects on the tray. "Dad, what are you doing?"

"Shut up, Eren," his father snapped. His eyes widened, not at the tone of his father's voice, but what his father was holding.

A needle. A very _large _needle.

"Dad! What is that?" He exclaimed, suddenly thrashing and fighting against the restraints.

The metal holding his head down kept him still when a hand came down and slapped him across the face. "I said _shut up, Eren_," his father hissed, spit landing on his cheek. He couldn't even attempt to wipe it off. His father took a cotton ball and rubbed some kind of chemical on his arm, the inner part of his elbow, repeating the action on his other arm.

The smell of alcohol invaded his senses and his eyes watered, partially from the intensity and partially from the fear. Looking around as best he could, he realized two things. One, he was in his basement. Two, he wasn't dreaming.

His eyes widened in horror when his father carefully picked up a long needle from off of the table. Flicking the sharp tip of the needle, his father brought the tip to the sanitized spot on his arm. "Wait!" He shouted. "What are you doing, Dad?"

It suddenly hit him how odd his father was acting the past few months and when the peculiar behavior began. After his mother died, he'd been forced to take care of himself, since his father wouldn't. He'd wake up in the morning and his father would be in the basement. He'd get ready for school on his own and make his own breakfast because his father would be in the basement. He'd get home from school and struggle through his homework because his father would be in the basement.

Whenever he did see his father, he would only see a gaunt face and sunken eyes.

His father ceased going to work a few months before, as most time was spent in the basement. Up until then, he never knew what his father had been up to.

He deeply regretted ever being curious, because he then, he was positive that he never wanted to find out.

"I'm protecting you, Eren," his father said.

He never stopped thrashing his legs and he felt his skin chafing and ripping against the metal. "Why are you doing this?" He pleaded. "No! Stop!" He screamed, desperately trying to escape, but every restraint chained him down.

He scrunched his eyes shut at the feeling of the needle barely poking his flesh. "I can't lose you, like your mother," his father hissed before pushing the needle into the soft skin.

He'd had his share of shots growing up, especially with a doctor as a father, but that needle was nothing like he'd ever felt before. It was thicker and longer than most needles and he definitely felt the difference.

He grimaced, groaning at the burning heat forcing its way into his body to flow through his body. The sensation gushing through his veins wasn't a pleasant one. The tips of his fingers and the tips of his toes were almost completely numb within five seconds of the injection.

He couldn't find his voice to, once again, beg his father to stop before a second needle stabbed into his flesh. He didn't even have the time to scream from the pain. His vision blurred immediately and quickly faded to black. His limbs stilled, too weak to move any longer. The only thing he felt was the excruciating agony pulsating through his entire being.

"Eren?"

Realizing his appendages were no longer restrained, he did all he could. Eren kicked and pushed at the being hovering over him.

"Eren!"

His eyes snapped open, revealing Levi's face only inches from his. Eren was panting, his bangs sticking to his forehead, slick with sweat. "Are you okay?" Levi asked. No, Eren wasn't okay. He knew he was sweating, but he was so cold. He was embarrassed. God, Eren was so sick of making a scene over absolutely nothing.

He was horrified with himself.

Ashamed.

Disgusted.

The bedsheets clung to his back. Eren knew Levi was still hovering over him, but he refused to make eye contact. Small pants continued to leave his mouth, but his heart was no longer pounding within his chest.

"Eren, are you alright?" Levi questioned, once more.

Eren let out a deep breath, nodding. "Yeah, I'm okay." His voice was shaky. "Just a nightmare." Levi leaned back as Eren sat up and scratched at the back of his head. "It's weird, though. I haven't had a nightmare in years..."

It wasn't a nightmare. He rarely had nightmares.

Levi hummed. "It's probably just a reaction from the change in environment," he said.

"Yeah, that's probably it," he lied. "What time is it, anyway?"

Levi arched his back to get a look at the clock. "It's a little past seven."

"Ugh!" Eren fell back onto his pillow. "Fuck that. I'm going back to sleep."

Chuckling at the quick turn of behavior, Levi replied, "Try not to mess up the sheets any more than you have. I already have to wash them because they're covered in your sweat. Fucking gross." He said it as a joke, to comfort him in his own strange way. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Mmm," Eren's voice was muffled from the pillow.

Deciding to give the poor kid some rest, Levi returned to his chair at the kitchen table to continue reading the section of the paper he'd marked for himself, refilling his coffee mug halfway along the way.

Once again in his seat, Levi peeked into the bedroom, just to check. He could see right through Eren like a sheet of glass. He'd been perched at the table, reading the newspaper when he heard Eren beginning to rustle around in the bed, letting out barely audible whines and whimpers. At first, Levi had thought Eren was having another one of his, quite reccurring, hormonal dreams, and he wasn't about to walk in on that.

Okay, he _might _have walked in on that, but the events that occurred earlier that morning held him back.

It wasn't until Eren had started screaming that Levi realized that it wasn't a wet dream, and if it was, fuck it was intense, and Levi gave no shits about earlier events. He had to get in on that.

The look of pain and fear Eren expressed proved Levi wrong. He'd called Eren's name multiple times to attempt to wake the teenager up, but he had no luck. Eren only continued to thrash about, rolling around and kicking.

At one point, Eren had calmed down for a few seconds, giving Levi the chance to get close and try to wake him up without being pummeled.

He'd reached out and cupped Eren's cheek in his palm, noting how hot the skin was beneath his fingers. Eren's hair was sweaty and his pajamas stuck to his skin. The flush of his skin and the way his face contorted, Levi knew it wasn't an ordinary nightmare. It was much more vivid than a simple nightmare.

Levi had had his fair share of them and knew exactly how frightening they could be. He'd wake up in cold sweats, sheets sticking to his back and his breathing uneven, as if he'd ran five miles. He'd feel slimy and gross, the sensation of invasive fingers still present on his skin.

He knew that it wasn't a nightmare that Eren had been having—it had been an addition to the flashback he'd had earlier, and Levi couldn't help but feel at least a little responsible.

Seeing Eren in such despair left Levi with a feeling he could only describe as...weird. He set his mug and paper down onto the table and drummed his fingers against the glossed, wooden surface. He closed his eyes and hoped the feeling would pass—the first step he took to calm down.

The only thing that happened when his eyes shut was the feeling getting stronger. He would have gone to counting his breaths, but Levi knew that it wasn't the usual occurrence that he experienced from time to time. It was quickly developing into an attack, and he knew he had to do something before it happened.

Levi shot up from the chair and paced the kitchen. He set the newspaper back on its spot on the kitchen counter and placed his dirty mug in the sink. He brushed off the coffee powder that he spilled earlier with a washcloth and rinsed it in warm water.

The blanket he curled up in when he'd woken up was folded over the top of the futon and the pillows were orderly placed.

When he looked at the clock, he saw that it was only eight o'clock. He calmed down considerably, but he still felt the ghostly presence brushing against his body, though it wasn't nearly as intense.

Glancing into the bedroom, Levi saw Eren sleeping soundly on his stomach in a nest of blankets. He walked slowly into the room, carefully as to not wake Eren up, not that his dainty footsteps would be able to do the job anyway. From far away, Eren looked peaceful, but up close, Levi saw the remains of the flashback still present on his face.

Levi reached out, tracing one of his fingers down Eren's cheek. Eren barely twitched. Deciding that he could use some more rest, Levi climbed into the bed beside him, slipping under the blankets. He lay on his side so he could face Eren.

Eren hadn't been sleeping. He couldn't fall back asleep with the images replaying through his head and when sensed a presence close to him, he shifted closer to feel its warmth. He felt thin fingers play with the hair on the top of his head, delicately untangling the snarls that accumulated throughout the night. He sighed—it was a comfort he enjoyed.

"I feel stupid, sometimes."

Levi almost jumped, not expecting the voice. "Why's that?" He asked calmly, despite the jump in his heart.

Eren turned to his side and moved closer to him. He answered truthfully, "Overreacting from the littlest things."

Wrapping his arms around Eren, Levi pulled him in closer. "What are you overreacting about?" To be honest, Levi thought Eren was relatively calm compared to his 'overreactions'.

"These stupid flashbacks and fucking nightmares."

"That's nothing to feel stupid about."

Eren bit at his lip. "But what if what happened was really no big deal?"

"It must have been—for you to react like that."

Shaking his head, Eren countered, "But it wasn't. Things could have been so much worse and I know it's been worse for others. I feel so guilty, sometimes, for feeling this shitty when more terrible things could have happened, but didn't."

"Listen to me, Jaeger. Don't worry about other people. What happens to other people is their business. I don't know what you went through, and you don't ever have to tell me, but it has clearly affected you. Never feel guilty for that. Don't think about how things could have been worse and beat yourself up over it. Don't be thankful that things could have been worse, but weren't, because that's bullshit. What happened to you was horrible _to you. _That's all that matters. If anyone ever tells you that their problem is worse than yours, they're wrong. Don't let them make you believe that, okay? You're more important _to you_, not them. Do you understand me?"

Eren was shocked silent.

He'd been waiting for that. He'd been waiting fucking _years _for someone to tell him that. Eren was sick and tired of those people telling him to grow up and move on, that it wasn't that big of a deal, that his father almost killing him wasn't a big deal.

He was sick and tired of people telling him, _"Well, at least it wasn't rape. Get over it." _

No, it wasn't rape, but he'd always ask, _"Who's to say that that person's abuse was worse than mine? Who's to say they're more important?" _

He'd always feel unimportant.

Less worthy.

Guilty.

After a moment, he finally whispered, "Yeah, I understand."

"Good, because you're important, Eren. Whoever told you that you weren't was full of bullshit. I swear to god, if you apologize one more time for having a normal reaction or having fucking normal feelings, I will punch you in your stupid face. You got that?"

Eren's eyes widened, but he nodded. "I'm sorry."

"If you think that I don't have any hesitation of kneeing you in your sack right now, you are incredibly wrong. Don't fucking test me," Levi threatened.

Eren was about to apologize once more, but quickly bit his tongue when he felt Levi's leg shifting. "Yeah, that's what I thought," Levi mumbled. "Now, seriously Jaeger. Go back to sleep."

That time, Eren had no troubles falling into slumber. The words Levi had said were harsh, but were comforting in some weird way. He felt almost giddy to think that, maybe, this trip he'd been so hesitant to go on would be more beneficial to him than just fucking his previous teacher. Maybe, he'd find some closure and actually be able to move on like he'd been told to countless of times in the past.

Both. He definitely hoped for both.

* * *

_A/N: *Yawn* Wow that chapter was boring and I'm still super sorry. Just a few things I have to say about it: Um wow. Who knew I'd be giving myself a lecture in my own story? _

_What can I say?_

_I got my tattoo a few days ago and I think that, and where this chapter ended up going was closure for me. It was hard to write, but damn do I feel so good right now. _

_I hope I didn't push any of you lovely people away with my unexpected break! I really hope I can get the next chapter written and out to you guys soon. Thank you all for being so patient with me and leaving me such nice and incredible feedback! You all are the reason for why I haven't given up yet, so thank you! _

_sorry for the super long notes..._

* * *

_Dear Claire,_

_You're definitely one of the best people in my life. You've been here for me 100% of the time and you've helped me get through my worst days. I hope that you know that I want to do the same for you. I know things are going to be hard for awhile, but please remember that I'm always here for you, bby. You've done so much for me and I can only hope that I can do the same for you. _

_You're the reason why I even started writing this, even though you're not a huge ereri fan. You still encouraged me to write and I can't thank you enough for that. Maybe it's sappy and stupid but I don't even give a fuck. This entire fucking story is dedicated to you, you little nerd face. _

_Thank you for being Claire and always being there for me._

_-Emily _


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Hello friends! I'm so sorry this took so long. Things have been so hectic with school and work. Plus we're in the process of moving. I also had to put my 16 year old cat down, so that was really tough. It's hard to write cute things when you're sad. On the plus side, we're getting a new kitty when we move in to our new place! Anyway, I hope you'll forgive me for taking so long to update with this chapter!_

_For Claire_

**Warnings: **Language and some sexy things :D

* * *

"You could have put that ten on the jack."

Levi cursed, contemplating the cards in front of him. Eren was right. He did miss the opportunity to get rid of that pesky ten blocking his way of an ace. However, he was too proud to go back and fix the mistake. He could only hope that the opportunity would come around again.

"If you had put that five down, you could have moved the four onto it and put the other five up."

Once again, Eren was absolutely right. "Shit," Levi muttered.

"You really suck at that game," Eren stated as Levi finally gave up and began to reshuffle the deck of cards. The deck was a plain one, normally written numbers on one side, and a red pattern on the back. It was simple, much like most of the objects in the cabin.

"Shut the fuck up, Eren."

Eren held his hands up in defense. "No need to be rude," he joked. "I was only telling the plain old truth."

The past few days had been calm and relatively boring. They had spent their time lounging around the cabin, watching movies or playing various card games. Each night, Levi had made a fire. They had sat beside each other, enjoying the warmth the flames gave them and talked about meaningless nothings into the early hours of the morning.

Eren hadn't had any more nightmares since that night. It was a rare occurrence that he would flinch when Levi touched him unexpectedly, as well. Eren found that he was growing more comfortable as each day passed and more time was spent with Levi. He was amused by the small things Levi did unconsciously, such as: hold all of his cups by the rim, his tendency to get cold easily and even his lack of ability to win a game of solitaire.

His favorite though, Eren had to admit, was when Levi's usually cold and intimidating stare would soften. He'd caught the look a few times, but Eren knew that if he blinked, he'd miss it. He'd miss how Levi's lips would curl up, just slightly in the most scarce smile and how the corners of his eyes would almost undetectably wrinkle. It was an expression that Eren deeply enjoyed. He learned what little things would bring the look to the surface and he found himself pretending to be more bothered by the little jokes Levi would make about him. He even found himself wiping a single crumb that had fallen off of his plate and onto the table with his napkin.

A week had past since they first arrived at the cabin and Eren was surprised that he hadn't been bored out of his mind yet. Without cable and, lord help him, the internet, Eren thought that would die of boredom or at least feel like he lost connection with the rest of the world while he was in seclusion. But he didn't. In fact, he felt an odd sense of calmness with the lack of technology. He felt free from it.

Besides, he did all that he would have at home at the cabin. He slept whenever the hell he wanted, ate whenever the hell he wanted, though he was given a few lectures on his meal choices.

"Shut up. I have the teenage boy metabolism as high as a kite. It's not my fault you're old and have to eat rabbit food." Sometimes, he liked to get a rise out of Levi, as well.

"Oi, fuck you. Twenty-four isn't old. I eat healthy to take care of my body. What are you going to do when you don't have your teenage boy metabolism?"

"When I'm an old fart like you, I'll do something about it." Levi had actually pouted. Well, it was as close to a pout as Levi could get, but Eren declared it as so.

The current morning started the very same as the previous few. Levi awoke to Eren slobbering all over his pillow. Fucking gross. Despite the nasty drool, Levi woke up, content that another night had passed without any nightmares or flashbacks, on both of their behalf.

After a few moments of debating with himself, Levi would left the comforts of his bed and the warmth the blankets and Eren supplied him. As usual, he began his morning routine of making coffee and reading the paper—a routine he developed long ago, only with other...slightly less than appropriate materials.

He sipped his coffee as he read that day's section of the paper. Just as it was the last time he visited the cabin all those years ago, it was boring. The town had been ran down since the last time Levi was up north. He could only scoff at how seriously people were debating on the future of the town's coal mining industry.

What idiots, he thought. In his opinion, they should simply let the town run its way down into the dumps, where it belonged.

Before he was truly irritated, he folded the newspaper and set it aside beside the fridge on the counter. Though the windows were closed and the furnace was turned on low, Levi shivered. Rinsing out his mug in the sink, he glanced into the bedroom where Eren continued to sleep. He lay on his back with one hand above his head on the pillows and the other strewn across his stomach. Levi contemplated crawling back into bed, but he knew that once he did, it would be a nightmare to get him up again.

Levi was the type that once he was up, he was up. No matter how early in the morning it was, he was up. It had been arduous at first, but once he'd tinkered with his sleeping schedule and adapted to going to bed earlier, he began to get a decent amount of sleep.

The schedule had stuck for the last few years of his life, until then. Eren had a penchant for talking throughout the entire night and into the early morning. Their bonfires consisted of Eren babbling and Levi struggling to stay awake so as not to appear as a heartless jackass. Though his body demanded more sleep, he couldn't turn off his internal alarm clock. He found it impossible to sleep past six in the morning, seven if he was lucky.

That being said, the first few days with less than four hours of sleep were okay. Levi wouldn't allow tiredness to ruin his time. But a couple days before, the grogginess slapped him in the face. He awoke at his usual ass crack of dawn hour and completed his routine. Despite the coffee flowing through his body, he was exhausted. He, without a second thought in mind, found himself unfolding a blanket and threw himself onto the futon for a much need nap. He drifted off to sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. It wasn't even eight o'clock.

Eren roused to a quiet room and a cold bed. He glanced at the clock, blinking a few times before the glowing numbers came into focus. Surprised that it was barely past nine, Eren kicked the covers off before climbing out of the bed. He groaned at the condition of the blankets, scattered across the mattress. As much as he hated to do it, considering he'd never had the reason to, nor the command to, he recalled the peculiar look he received from Levi when he made the bed that first time.

It wasn't a look a parent would give their child for doing a time-consuming, pointless chore, because that would be fucking weird. It wasn't one that showed Levi's earnest desire to repay him for doing simple housework by sexing him up, because that would be—well, Eren didn't really know what to think about that one, because what the hell does that even mean? It was a look of appreciation, one Eren instantly attached to.

As he tucked the sheets in, just as he was taught, he wondered why the cabin was so quiet. Not that he didn't enjoy the quiet, because he did; it was a nice change from only a few weeks before. Eren was simply used to having Levi taunt him from the kitchen as he struggled to get out of bed every morning, calling him a lazy ass or something of that nature. He would wake up to the sound of cards flipping on the table and the smell of breakfast being made, but the cabin was quiet that morning.

Once the bed was perfectly made, Eren strolled out of the room, expecting to find Levi pissing himself off over a mere game of solitaire, but the kitchen was empty. Eren walked further into the cabin, crossing into the living room and stopping at the sight in front of him. A smile loomed across his face and he had to stop himself from cooing so that he didn't wake Levi up.

Levi lay on the futon with the front of his body pressed against the back deck, blanket draped over him with his nose buried into the fabric. It was an image that Eren had yet to see until then—Levi sleeping. Usually, when he wasn't smirking or allowing that small smile to creep onto his lips, Levi wore a deadpan expression. As he was sleeping, Eren zealously noticed how serene and peaceful Levi looked as he slept, like there was no care in the world.

Eren crept up, knowing Levi could wake at the drop of a pin, and gently lifted one side of the blanket so he could crawl and lie beside him. Levi's features scrunched up at the movement, his face pressing deeper into the blanket, only allowing the tip of his nose and his closed eyes to be seen. Eren had to cover his mouth to suppress the adorable sound that escaped. He carefully climbed beside him and covered himself with the blanket, as well.

At the beginning of the week, Eren would have been much more hesitant to be so close to Levi, freely, but as the days went by, Levi had him breaking down a few barriers and he was more willing to share his personal space, which is why he didn't flinch when Levi pressed back, against him, letting out a content sigh.

Eren had no qualms about it, and found little difficulty to fit his body against Levi's, perfectly. Though he wasn't all too sleepy, he was perfectly content with just lying there. He softly placed his hand on Levi's hip, surprised that Levi's shirt had ridden up at some point. Levi's skin was chilly beneath Eren's warm hand. Enjoying the sound of Levi's soft breathing, Eren began gingerly tracing ghostly patterns over his alabaster skin. He paused when Levi made a slight sound, worried that he may have wakened him, but Levi just let out a deep breath and slept on. Eren pressed his nose into the crook of Levi's neck, taking in his fresh scent.

Levi stretched as consciousness overcame him, once more. He paused, not expecting the heat nor the pressure behind him. Eren was practically crushing him against the back of the futon. His face was buried in his neck and his hand rested on his lower abdomen. The movement against his back said to him that Eren was still sleeping.

He was surprised that he hadn't woken up when Eren had joined him. Throughout his years, Levi had trained himself to wake up at the quietest of sounds—a special kind of skill that had saved him multiple times in a lifestyle such as his. However, those were times that he'd long ago pushed away.

Suddenly, Levi shivered. Eren's fingers had traced over a sensitive spot on his hip and the touch had him squirming. He pushed back against Eren, mumbling sleepily, "What are you doing?"

Eren grunted at the shove to his shoulder. "Sleeping," he said, mid-yawn. He somehow managed to fall back into slumber and hadn't realized where his hand had wandered.

"You know," Levi said, pulling Eren's hand off of him and attempted to turn himself so he faced the other. "You said you were worried about me taking advantage of you in your sleep, when really, I think it's me who should be worried that it's _you _who will take advantage of _me _in your sleep."

Mind still fuzzy with sleep, Eren opened his eyes and realized where his hand had been. Too sleepy to make a big deal about it, he muttered a soft, "Oh, sorry." He scooted back to give Levi room to flip over.

Once facing Eren, Levi almost smiled at the stupid face Eren was making. His eyebrows were knit together, and an eye was scrunched shut as he let out another yawn. "Morning," he said. Eren echoed his phrase with a sloppy smile. Ugh that stupid smile. That incredibly goofy, sleep induced grin that had his heart leaping. He couldn't help it. He pulled Eren's face closer by the back of his neck and brought him into a lazy morning kiss.

Though surprised, Eren joined in, lips leisurely moving against Levi's. "You're kinda adorable when you sleep," he said when Levi's lips trailed down to his jaw.

Levi pulled away with a frown. "Your breath is awful," he said flatly.

Eren gaped, not expecting the harshness. "Excuse you. Your morning breath isn't too great, either."

Sitting up, Levi ran a hand through his messy hair, shuffling it back into place. "Fuck you. I brushed my teeth this morning. Eren already knew that, though; he could taste the minty freshness in the kiss.

Eren stood up from the futon and Levi followed. "Do you want to eat breakfast here, or do you want to go into town to eat?" He asked.

Eren shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. You're the one who cooks."

Levi hummed as he made his way into the bedroom to pick out fresh clothing. "Would you mind if we went and had brunch somewhere? It's too late to make breakfast."

How ten o'clock was too late to make breakfast was beyond Eren, but he didn't argue. "Yeah, that sounds good," he agreed.

As Eren trailed behind him to the bathroom, he said, "I'm going to take a quick shower before we go. You do something with that mop on your head."

Eren nodded, sneaking a look in the mirror to find that, indeed, there was a bird's nest on his head in place of his hair. How embarrassing. He fumbled through one of his bags to find his brush before planting himself in front of the other bathroom's mirror to figure out some way to situate the mess on his head.

He knew he had more than enough time to get ready, considering a 'quick shower' for Levi tended to mean a thirty minute waste of warm water. Eren made it a habit to shower at night because Levi hogged all the water in the morning. Even still, Levi found it completely necessary to shower in the morning and in the evening, even when they spent the day doing nothing but lounge around, watching movies. It was a race for Eren to get to the shower first.

Once his hair looked slightly decent, Eren pulled out fresh clothes and changed out of his pajamas. He was ready within ten minutes of Levi's shower, leaving him with plenty of time to lounge around. Back in the living room, he folded the quilt that was thrown haphazardly across the futon and set it on the arm rest, not knowing where else to put it.

He threw himself on the futon, finding nothing else to do, and studied the various knickknacks hanging on the wooden walls of the cabin. Pictures of various things lined the walls. There was a large picture of the Duluth nighttime skyline framed right above the futon with other pictures surrounding. Most of them were of scenery, but there was one that caught Eren's eye. It was a photo of a couple, the woman holding a toddler on her hip. Eren smiled softly, coming to the conclusion that it was a photo of Levi as a child. He made it a point to ask Levi about it later.

What concerned Eren most, even more than the incredibly tacky singing fish novelty hanging on the wall, was the amount of cribbage boards that adorned the cabin. Some hung on the wall. At least seven hung on the wall. That was way too many cribbage boards to own, let alone decorate the walls with, or so Eren thought. He was positive that there were at least twenty under the the TV, in the entertainment center. He began counting the amount of game boards in order to gather information for the intervention Levi clearly needed.

He counted eleven hanging on the wall, three on the bookshelf, twenty-six in the entertainment center and he was positive that there were a few on the table beside the futon. He shot up so he could add those as well without losing count of what he already had. Two more sat innocently on the table, one on top of a spiral bound book.

Curious, Eren picked the book up, taking a look at its cover. It was leather bound. _Cabin Memories_, it read. Eyebrows raised, he quickly flipped to the first page. The top left corner of the page was dated _June 14, 1990_.

_**Who visited: **__Just us and Levi. This is Levi's first trip up at the cabin. How exciting! He wasn't too fond of the drive up, though. He just cried and cried. His tapes couldn't even distract him or calm him down. The strangest thing happened. Every time we stopped at a gas station or to eat, he was perfectly fine and calm, but as soon as the car started, he was back at the crying! Seems like our little guy isn't a fan of car rides! _

_**Weather: **__We just arrived about an hour ago, but so far, the weather is beautiful! We were worried on our way up since it was raining so hard. I have a feeling it's going to be a gorgeous weekend. _

_**What was done: **__Nothing, as of yet. We plan on going into town for an auction and charity run tomorrow. Other than that, it's going to be a nice weekend of relaxation. Hopefully we'll have time to take the boat out onto the lake! _

_**Any projects: **__Levi's dad is going to try to fix the screen on the front door. Looks like bear got a bit too friendly with the place!_

Eren grinned at the neat handwriting, clearly written by a female. Levi seemed like such a pain in the ass child. Well, that cleared up some of the questions Eren had about Levi's peculiar behavior. It wasn't a gradual process. He was born with it.

He licked his thumb to get a better grip at the paper as he turned the page. A grin still present on his lips, he began reading the next entry.

"What are you doing?"

Eren jumped at the harsh snap. Levi was standing next to the kitchen table, arms frozen in the air as he towel dried his hair, glaring at Eren on the futon. Almost like a child, Eren cowered, looking away sheepishly as he held the book up. "I saw it on the table and was curious."

In an instant, Levi flew across the room, roughly snatching the book from Eren's hands and snapped it shut. "Nosy little fucker, aren't you?" He growled.

Eren quickly shook his head. "N-no. It was on the table. I just read the first page."

Levi ignored him and turned on his heel, marching to the bedroom, book in tow. Eren timidly remained on the couch, like a little awaiting their punishment after doing something wrong. Levi reentered the kitchen but his hands were empty. "Are you ready to go?"

Eyebrows knitted, Eren nodded, confused as to why the question was in such a different tone, as if Levi hadn't just nearly yelled at him. Levi flicked the light of, saying, "Good, because I'm starving. Let's go."

The car ride was silent. Eren continued to mope as Levi, once again, complained about the music on his player. He stared out the window, watching the trees pass the farther they traveled down the road. After they passed, what Eren liked to call, the Gorilla Rock, he knew they were close to first fork in the road, leaving about three minutes left on the dangerous trail and about seven to the town. Ten minutes. He could deal with it for ten minutes.

He hated car rides.

"You know, Jaeger. You don't have to pout after every time I snap at you."

Car rides were awkward.

"In fact, I'm an asshole. You should probably get used to it. I can't have you acting like a kicked puppy after every time I say or do something shitty."

They were the perfect time to think and talk about things.

"It's like having a pet—a dog who's sad that I didn't give it a treat. You're here with me as Eren, not a dog, right? Because I hate dogs."

"I'm not a dog," Eren mumbled. "But what if I was?"

Levi thought for a moment and Eren thought he was ignoring the, admittedly, stupid question. "I suppose I'd have to get used to it since you're relatively okay to be around."

Eren scoffed. "Wow. Relatively okay to be around. Nice."

Levi smirked, behind the wheel. They finally reached the end of the gravel road and turned onto a paved highway. "Okay, fine. I enjoy having you around, even if you are a dog. Even though dogs are fucking disgusting."

"I actually like dogs," Eren added.

"Well, it's a good thing that nobody asked you." The sentence would have been considered harsh, to Eren, if Levi hadn't thrown in an amused look that told him otherwise. Eren made it a point to learn the difference.

"Are you ever going to let me finish reading the book?"

Levi hesitated, before letting out a long sigh. "To be honest, probably not, but who knows? Not that you would want to, anyway. It's seriously me as a teenager, whining about how shitty life was and how I wasn't doing a damn thing to do anything about it. Not a very nice read, honestly."

Eren said, "But some of the entries were your mom's, weren't they? Unless your dad has really girly handwriting."

Levi tensed. "There's only a few of hers in the beginning. The rest are mine from when I lived here. I should have thrown that damn book out. I haven't even looked at it since then."

"I don't think you should throw it away. It would be dumb to throw away those good memories."

"Not all of them were good, brat, but I guess you have a point."

_Day after day I'm more confused._

"Holy shit!" Levi exclaimed, reaching for the volume knob on the radio. "Alright, maybe your music taste isn't too bad. At least you have one good song in the midst of shitty ones."

Eren rested his head against the window. "I thought you didn't listen to music."

"This isn't music, Jaeger. It's a masterpiece." Levi ignored whatever Eren had to say, singing along to the lyrics instead.

"You know what the songs about, right? It's about losing yourself completely in music, how a song can take you from any shit place you're in to a place of peace, where you don't have to care about what's going on around you. It's amazing."

Eren probably would have laughed, hysterically at how poorly Levi was singing. Eren had assumed that there were many things one could do with a velvet voice such as his, but, apparently, singing was not one of them.

At that moment, however, Eren was thankful that Levi's out of tune voice covered the original. He leaned back against the window, closing his eyes and trying to ignore the guitar, the voice and the violin that just joined. "You okay?" Levi asked him, giving him a poke to the shoulder.

Eren understood Levi's explanation of how he heard the song, and he probably would have felt the same way under any other condition. "I just think we have very different meanings to the song, that's all."

Whether Levi heard him or not, Eren didn't know. He was back to passionately, and horribly, singing along to the final chorus, completely lost in the music.

* * *

Breakfast was good. They went to one of the many small diners in the little town. Eren ordered pancakes, because what would anyone else order at eleven-thirty in the morning at a diner? Apparently everyone else didn't quite agree. Levi ordered a hash brown pancake of some sort, whatever that was with sausage and eggs. He gave Eren his side of pancakes after, amusingly, watching him eye the food when he'd finished his.

After breakfast, they joined the tourists and walked through a few of the gift shops. "Don't go into every shop here in one day," Levi advised. "There's not much to do in this damn town but go to the shops, and once you've been to every one, you'll never go back because they all start to look the exact same."

They drove up main street to Shopko for groceries, easily passing the road leading to the music shop.

Back at the cabin, Eren attempted to help put groceries away, only to have Levi push him into the living room so he wouldn't get in the way. The remainder of the day was spent at the kitchen table, playing various card games and Eren making fun of how terrible Levi was at solitaire.

At the table during dinner, Eren almost jumped when there was a crash of thunder. Levi looked into the bedroom, only to see the room light up from lightning. "I suppose that answers my question of if you wanted to make a fire tonight or watch a movie."

"What are you talking about? It's the perfect night for a fire."

Levi took his plate and grabbed Eren's empty one as well. "You're such a brat. Go pick out a movie while I wash these."

Eren did as he was told, scanning the plethora of movies. For someone who was so against music, Eren thought it was odd of how many movies Levi had. There had to be thousands. Eren had seen a select few of them, but the majority were completely foreign to him.

By the time he picked out a movie, Levi was still washing the dishes. He stood beside him, grabbed the towel and began drying what was already cleaned.

The clock read eight-thirty when they finished. "So, what movie did you choose?" Levi never bothered picking out any of the movies they watched, considering he'd seen them all on multiple occasions. Plus, he figured his taste was much different than Eren's.

"This one," Eren pointed at the case.

Levi glanced at the title. "I never picked you as one to like romantic comedies," he goaded.

"Oh shut up," Eren said. "It looks good."

Opening the player and setting the disc in, Levi said, "It is good. I never said that it was a bad thing."

Eren ignored the comment. He pulled a large pillow and blanket from one of the closets and set them on the futon as Levi got the TV ready. That had been a routine they formed for every night they watched a movie. They would dress in their pajamas and watch a movie, curled up under a blanket to block out the chilly air circulating around them.

Once he got the movie playing, Levi flipped the light off and lay on the futon, beckoning Eren to join him. Just as it had been in the morning, only roles reversed, Eren lay in front of Levi, back pressed against his chest, with Levi's chin resting on his shoulder.

A half hour passed and Levi found himself bored. He'd seen the movie more than once. Actually he'd seen it far too many times than he'd like to admit. At one point, he probably could have been able to speak along with the dialogue because that's how well he knew it. However, Eren seemed to be enjoying it. Every once in a while, he would laugh at some silly joke and shake against Levi. It was a nice thing, to see Eren laugh after their morning. Levi felt like a complete dick for snapping at the poor kid for doing nothing wrong but being curious. He felt bad. He felt more bored than he did bad, though, and if Eren wanted to watch the movie, that was fine, but Levi was going to find some sort of entertainment.

Eren jumped at the unexpected touch to his neck. "What are you doing?" He asked when Levi's lips brushed against his skin once more.

"Kissing you," Levi answered simply, placing another gentle kiss to his neck. "Just watch the movie. I've seen it a billion times. Let me have my fun."

Eren couldn't deny that he enjoyed those moments. Levi had been being careful about touching him since the flashback incident. He didn't often kiss Eren, except for maybe one in the morning and a few before they went to bed.

Though it had only happened once and it had ended in a way he hadn't hoped for, but was glad that it did because everything was happening too soon, Eren had grown comfortable with Levi's touch in the past week and found that he yearned for Levi to touch him...more. He didn't complain when Levi planted kisses up and down his neck. He even tilted his head to give him more room.

Eren already was having difficulty paying attention to the movie, and he knew that as soon as Levi brought out his tongue and teeth, the movie would be forgotten completely.

Soon enough, his breath hitched when Levi's teeth nicked at his flesh below his ear and tongue came out to lap at the bite. As soon as Levi spoke, his velvet voice whispering into his ear, Eren melted, letting out a soft moan. "I don't think you understand how _sexy _it is that you're so sensitive here," he sunk his teeth down for good measure, smirking at the sharp gasp the action elicited. "I could lie here all night, making you come undone by just kissing you."

_Oh no_, Eren thought as he felt a small warmth pooling in the pit of his stomach. Levi's touch and voice were too much together. Touching, Eren understood, but how a voice could affect him so strongly? Eren didn't know, but it was happening. "Levi?"

"Yes?" He answered with another tender kiss.

Eren's brain switched off for a second when his earlobe was sucked on before being pulled between teeth. "Why do you have so many cribbage boards?"

Wow. Smooth one.

Levi leaned back, a tad surprised by the question. "They're not mine. My dad collected them," he answered honestly. It was the least he could do after what happened the last time they were in that situation. If talking about game boards was a way to keep Eren calmed, then so be it.

"Did he teach you how to play?"

Alright, that was a little strange. The situation was strange, but Levi answered, "Yeah, he did. How could he not after owning a million boards."

"That was nice of him."

Levi moved the hand he had resting on Eren's hip, pushing his shirt up to feel his skin. "It was, but I don't really want to talk about my dad, right now. Do you want me to stop?" He traced light patterns on Eren's stomach, nipping at his neck.

"No." Of course he didn't. He spoke the question in panic, not to change the subject. Eren was thankful that Levi brought them back to the proper conversation.

"Alright," Levi said gently. "Tell me to stop whenever." With that, he went back to attacking Eren's neck with kisses, occasionally stopping to suck on a spot, delighting in the small noises that escaped Eren's lips.

The movie was forgotten. Eren closed his eyes, indulging in the feeling of someone being so close to him, completely ravishing him. He shivered when Levi's hand inched its way up to his chest, fingers cold against his skin. A nibble to that spot on the back of his neck and a light pinch to his nipple had him moaning and hips pressing back.

What he felt there and that unmistakable groan proved to Eren that he wasn't the only one being affected. Levi removed his hand from his shirt, only to toy with the tassels of Eren's pants. "Eren," he breathed into his ear, fingers playing with the elastic of the pajama pants, fingers dipping down only slightly. "Can I touch you here?" He moved his hand to the front of Eren's pants, fingers tracing the outline of his erection straining against the fabric.

Eren bit his lip, nodding. It was finally happening. Well not _it _it. He wasn't at all ready for that _it _to happen, but _something. _Something was finally happening. His mouth fell open when Levi palmed his cock through the fabric of his pajamas. Levi's other hand that had been wrapped around him since the movie started rubbed calming circles on his stomach. His breath hitched as Levi slowly dipped his hand into the front of his pants, tracing over the coarse hair.

"Shit!" Eren hissed when Levi trailed a finger along the underside of his cock before his hand wrapped around the base. He pressed back against him, trying to get him to do _something_. "Ah!" He moaned as Levi began stroking him gently.

"Look at you," Levi cooed, taking a break from marking up Eren's neck. He squeezed the base of his length and tugged at it, drawing a groan from Eren. "You like that, don't you?"

"Uh huh," Eren whined. His eyes were scrunched shut, but his mouth was open, letting out loose moans at Levi's touch. Levi's fingers went to work at the head, smearing the pre-cum. Eren breathed harshly, pushing his hips back once more, ass brushing against Levi's own erection. He gasped when Levi rutted against him, whispering little nothings in his ear. "Levi," Eren whimpered. The hand on his length was moving so slow and he desperately wanted more friction.

"Hm?" Levi's voice vibrated against the shell of his ear. "Tell me what you want, Eren."

"Faster," Eren gasped. Levi slowed his strokes even more, before removing his hand from his cock altogether, making Eren whine at the loss. "Please don't stop," he whispered, breath catching in his throat as Levi explored the other skin beneath his pants. He let out a harsh breath when Levi's hand traveled to his ass, squeezing gently. "Levi, please!"

"God, you're gorgeous," Levi mumbled into the crook of his neck, where his nose was buried. He pulled his hand from Eren's pants and sat up, pushing Eren so that he lie on his back. He hovered over Eren and pressed his lips hard against Eren's. Eren leaned into the kiss. His mouth opened to let out a small cry when Levi aligned their hips and rocked forward. Taking the moment, Levi slid his tongue into Eren's mouth, pleased at the mewl Eren made.

He continued thrusting against Eren, pulling his mouth away with a groan when Eren pushed his hips up. "Shit Eren," he whispered into his ear. Eren pulled him down by the neck to kiss him, tangling his fingers in his hair, making Levi shiver.

Eren threw his head to the side with a loud moan. "L-Levi. I'm going t-to..." He couldn't finish his sentence. It felt too good.

Levi latched his mouth onto Eren's throat, slowing his hips to precise thrusts, making sure his cock pressed against Eren's perfectly. Eren tightened his hold around Levi's shoulders as he felt the heat in his belly expand to the rest of his body. His fingers clawed Levi's shirt and his toes curled as his back arched as he reached his peak.

The expression on Eren's face and his body jerking and shivering below him was enough to make Levi come undone, biting the area of Eren's collarbone as he came.

Eren's breathing came in harsh pants and his wasn't much better. He lowered himself gently to lie on top of Eren without crushing him. He allowed them to catch their breath before asking, "Do you feel good?"

His head tipped back and eyes still shut with blissful pleasure, Eren nodded. "Mhm," he mumbled.

Levi maneuvered off of Eren and stood up, frowning at the unpleasant feeling in his pants. "Clean up and change your pants. There's nothing worse than waking up with dried cum on your thighs." He reached for Eren's hand and pulled him up. "Come on, you're exhausted. We'll finish the movie in the morning." He waited for Eren to stand, but he remained sitting on the edge of the futon.

"Fine. I'll clean up first. I swear to God if you get cum on my futon, I will stick my foot up your ass so far that you'll taste it." With that, he made his way to the bathroom, leaving Eren in his post orgasmic bliss.

Hmm? What was that?

_God Levi, you're beautiful._


End file.
